Country house & Cambridge photograph album of artist George James Howard 1860-1862

Howard, George James, 9th Earl of Carlisle (1843-1911)

Published by 1860, 1860

About this Item

Large photograph album, approximately 30 x 24cm. 72 pages, with 362 assorted photographs, cartes de visite, a few portraits and one small pastel drawing. Inscribed by a young George Howard in 1861 to the front endpaper, and liberally annotated by him throughout. With an inscription from two months after his death to the front pastedown which reads: "Given to Cecelia Roberts. June 1911", the recipient being his daughter, Lady Cecilia Maude Howard (1868-1947), who married Charles Henry Roberts in 1891. Many of the subjects are notable personages encountered by the young George in his later years at Eton and time at Cambridge University, including signed portraits of Charles Kingsley, whose private lectures he attended in 1861, and the future King Edward VII who was also lectured by Kingsley in 1861. Additionally, there are two other group photos which include the Prince of Wales at Cambridge and Oxford. Visitors to the family home, Castle Howard, and other high society connections also feature, including quite an uncommon full-length portrait of artist and Soldier, Henry Hope Crealock, sometime between his exploits at Sebastopol and presumably pre-dating his appointment as Military Secretary to Lord Elgin in March 1860, and participation in the ensuing opium war. There is a small coloured sketch by Howard, a tableau of the execution of Lady Jane Grey, which is captioned and dated 1860. There are two large photographs, one showing the 1862 Committee of the A. D. C. (Cambridge Amateur Dramatic Club, formed in 1855 and the oldest student drama club in the country), and opposite this a scene from an 1861 performance of Faust. The album covers all of the interests and passions of a wealthy, romantic. artistically inclined, exceptionally well-connected young man of the mid-Victorian period, including landscapes and nature, ruined abbeys, notable and (incidentally) attractive women, famous figures of art literature and science (there are cartes de visite of Millais, Tennyson, Garibaldi, Victor Hugo, James Anthony Froude, Richard Monkton Milnes, Richard Owen and Austen Henry Layard, the latter four signed), also a group of 7 CDVs showing the famous Garde Imperiale in various combat poses. The album has seen much use and is battered and rubbed in appearance, with the upper board detached and the lower nearly so, the pages are slightly foxed, with curling to the corners and some closed tears to the edges where they have been opened without due care. An impressive album, giving insight into the character and influences of George Howard during his formative years at Eton and Cambridge. With excellent provenance, from the family of Wilfrid Hubert Wace Roberts (1900-1991), whose mother was Lady Cecilia Roberts (née Howard), daughter of George and Rosalind Howard. Seller Inventory # 6682

Bibliographic Details

Title: Country house & Cambridge photograph album ...

Publisher: 1860

Publication Date: 1860

Signed: Signed by Author(s)