An Album of Caricaturesincluding: 'Sir W Hamilton' (3); 'Oxford The Strictures of the Edinburgh review considered at a private meeting of the Caput. Oxford A.D. 1810/The Edin Rev. July 1809/april 1810' (illustrated opposite); 'Revd. Balfour having taken lodgings in a questionable hous [sic]'; 'Dr. Cleghorn /Glasgow/Dr. Corkindale'; 'Dr. Muckerey of W. Calder.; 'Mr. Laing, bookseller, beset by Jews'; 'Col. Campbell/Dr. Scott Dentist'; 'The Revd. Mr. Mushat'; 'Charles Sharp'; 'THE REVEREND NEIL DOUGLAS/from a sketch made during the trial/May 1817./"Daniel Chapter V. Verses 17-23."'; 'Mr W Laing Bookseller/Laing the bookseller'; 'Lord Eldin/John Clerk'; 'Dr Scott Dentist'; 'Peter Peddie?'; 'Profesor [sic] Davidson of Glasgow'; 'Old John/Bishop of/Peterboro' General'; 'Oxford'; 'Emperor Alexander.'; 'General Wilkinson'; 'Mr. Benjamin West.' the painter (illustrated opposite); 'Mrs Violet Lockhart'; 'Sir James Campbell of Aberichel'; 'an old hand at the/Cockpit Oxon.'; 'John Cay advocate'; 'Lord Byron' (illustrated opposite); 'Mr. De la Tourdaigne/1814.'; 'The Synod of Glasgow & Ayr enjoying the prospect of the new Catholic chapel' including a portrait of 'Mr Locke of/Campbell.'

Details

John Gibson Lockhart (1794-1854)
An Album of Caricaturesincluding: 'Sir W Hamilton' (3); 'Oxford The Strictures of the Edinburgh review considered at a private meeting of the Caput. Oxford A.D. 1810/The Edin Rev. July 1809/april 1810' (illustrated opposite); 'Revd. Balfour having taken lodgings in a questionable hous [sic]'; 'Dr. Cleghorn /Glasgow/Dr. Corkindale'; 'Dr. Muckerey of W. Calder.; 'Mr. Laing, bookseller, beset by Jews'; 'Col. Campbell/Dr. Scott Dentist'; 'The Revd. Mr. Mushat'; 'Charles Sharp'; 'THE REVEREND NEIL DOUGLAS/from a sketch made during the trial/May 1817./"Daniel Chapter V. Verses 17-23."'; 'Mr W Laing Bookseller/Laing the bookseller'; 'Lord Eldin/John Clerk'; 'Dr Scott Dentist'; 'Peter Peddie?'; 'Profesor [sic] Davidson of Glasgow'; 'Old John/Bishop of/Peterboro' General'; 'Oxford'; 'Emperor Alexander.'; 'General Wilkinson'; 'Mr. Benjamin West.' the painter (illustrated opposite); 'Mrs Violet Lockhart'; 'Sir James Campbell of Aberichel'; 'an old hand at the/Cockpit Oxon.'; 'John Cay advocate'; 'Lord Byron' (illustrated opposite); 'Mr. De la Tourdaigne/1814.'; 'The Synod of Glasgow & Ayr enjoying the prospect of the new Catholic chapel' including a portrait of 'Mr Locke of/Campbell.'
inscribed individually as title and further inscribed in a list of contents; there are minor differences in wording; a title page is inscribed 'CARICATURES/BY/JOHN GIBSON LOCKHART ESQ^RE /-/PRESENTED TO/LADY BREWSTER/BY/CAP^T. THOMAS HAMILTON/AUTHOR OF/Cyril Thornton&^ca/ON LEAVING CHIESWOOD [altered from'CHIEPWOOD']'
pencil, pen and brown ink and watercolour (26), pencil (2), grey wash (2), pen and ink (2) engraving (2),
9½ x 13½ in. (24.1 x 34.3 cm.), and smaller; the album 15 x 10 7/8 in. (38.1 x 27.7 cm.), overall, the drawing of the Synod of Glasgow is folded to fit into the volume and measures 16¾ x 19 5/8 in. (42.5 x 50 cm.) (34)

Provenance

Thomas Hamilton.
Lady Brewster, a gift from Thomas Hamilton.
Brewster-Macpherson collection by 1897.
by descent to the present vendor.

Literature

A. Lang, The Life and Letters of John Gibson Lockhart,
London, 2 vols., 1897, p. 341, three drawings illustrated, vol. I, opp. pp. 96 and 48, and vol. II, frontispiece.

Lot Essay

John Gibson Lockhart, best known as the biographer of his father-in-law Sir Walter Scott, was also a satirist, contributing to Blackwood's Magazine, author, editor of the Quarterly Review, and an amateur caricaturist. A prodigy, he entered Balliol College Oxford, in 1809, (at the age of 15), and it is there that he seems to have done his first caricatures, of his friends and himself. He seems to have ceased doing caricatures when he moved to London in 1825.
The caricatures in this album included friends from his Oxford days, such as William, later Sir William, Hamilton, older brother of Thomas who presented the drawings to Lady Brewster; other friends, such as John Cay, who also had a collection of Lockhart's caricatures; and Charles Frederick Sharpe. Well-known Edinburgh and Glasgow figures include the judge John Clerk, Lord Eldin, Dr. Scott 'the Odontist', and William, or his son David, the bookseller. Notables such as Lord Byron (illustrated opposite) and Benjamin West, P.R.A., (illustrated opposite) are also represented, as is Lockhart's sister Violet. There are also scenes of The Presbytery of Glasgow denouncing a Roman Catholic Chapel and Oxford Dons reading the 'Edinburgh Review' (illustrated opposite).

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