Max Beerbohm, London Club Types, Late 19th Century, Pen & Ink Drawings, Set of 15

Description

An original late 19th-century pen & ink drawing Max Beerbohm's London Club Types.This fantastic set of caricatures has an intriguing … more An original late 19th-century pen & ink drawing Max Beerbohm's London Club Types.This fantastic set of caricatures has an intriguing provenance warranting further investigation. In 1892 Max Beerbohm (1872–1956) published thirty-six 'Club Types' in The Strand magazine, caricaturing figures of the London Club scene, such as the Athenaeum, the Albemarle and the Marlborough 'types'. Beerbohm was a master of caricature, at this time still a student at Oxford and himself something of a dandy. At Oxford he was a well-known figure in social circles: he was Secretary of the Myrmidon Club, became acquainted with Oscar Wilde and his circle, and met William Rothenstein and Aubrey Beardsley.This group of ink drawings are fifteen of Beerbohm's Club Types, very similar to but not exactly the same as Beerbohm's published drawings. The drawings come with the provenance of the leading London works on paper dealer William Drummond, and are housed in an envelope bearing Drummond's cataloguing number. The envelope also identifies 'Clubs in London Caricatures', 'Max B. 1892 Stand Magazine' and 'E. Burne-Jones'.The relationship between Max Beerbohm, Edward Burne-Jones (1833–1898) and the drawings is unclear but is certainly intriguing. Burne-Jones, although best known for his high-minded paintings of medievalism associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, also had a wicked sense of humour and himself produced numerous rapid-fire sketches of everyday life, invented characters and caricatures. Many were dashed off in letters that he sometimes exchanged up to five times a day with favourite correspondents. It is thought unlikely that Burne-Jones and the younger Beerbohm were ever acquainted, but in 1922 Beerbohm published a book entitled Rossetti and His Circle, featuring twenty-three caricatures of Pre-Raphaelite figures, including Burne-Jones, which he completed from photographs.The Club Types are a wonderful commentary on London society in the late 19th century: a light satire on the pomposity, habits and inclinations of the gentlemen that would frequent the clubs of St James’s Street and Pall Mall. The tone of Beerbohm's drawings is often lightly wicked, but it is also affectionate—for he was very much part of the world that he was poking fun at.Provenance: William Drummond (Covent Garden Gallery).Please note that the drawings will come loose in the envelope. Envelope size: 15 x 9cm. Average drawing size approx.: 5 x 3cm. Total area of all 15 as displayed in first photograph: 20 x 24cm.All artworks come with a Certificate of Authenticity and—if it is a collection artwork—its accompanying collection text or artist biography. Signed: No. Inscribed: On accompanying envelope. Height: 20cm (7.9″) Width: 24cm (9.4″) Condition: Overall in good condition. Slight marks and toning in places. Some of the drawings are cut close at the edges, as created. Please see photos for detail. Presented: Unframed. less