H. Abbott - [manuscript / original drawings] Mr. Punch's Travels in Foreign Lands / Attitudes for Exits from the - 1865

An unique collection of 32 original ink drawings in the style of Punch by one H. Abbott. Circa 1865.

There are 15 numbered illustrations, with a title to each. These feature Mr Punch on his visits to Pompeii, on an Arab steed etc. They are finely drawn on card and tipped into the album. They are reminiscent of Callot's work.

These are followed by a further 7 illustrations on diverse subjects. These are very good copies of works by other artists. A couple by Thomas Hood (from the Comic Annual of 1836), and a copy of John Tenniel's "Erin's little difficulty" a Punch cartoon from 1865 about the raiding of a Fenian newspaper.

Then comes a section called "Attitudes for Exits from the Stage" with 8 small illustrations with quotations (seemingly from Shakespeare). We have not been able to identify any originals for these.

Finally are three further illustrations. A number of the illustrations show the tale of Bobby taking tea with a servant girl, and a jealous maid telling Mr Brigg's (her master) of this, to the inevitable eviction of Bobby! We have been unable to identify this series, and we believe them to be an original sequence.

To the end of the collection is a page with a title for Aesop's fables, and evidence of three tipped in images being removed - so these are not present.

A nice collection of original illustrations. The small pocket book is clean and tidy, with a little rubbing to the edges. The binding is a little tired, the front end paper has been reinforced, and some other pages would benefit from reinforcement. Overall a nice item. Slight darkening / foxing throughout.

7 x 12 cm

H. Abbott appears to have been by trade a lithographer who worked around this time with Whiteman and Bass of London.