In the following notes we do not propose to go deeply into the lore of print collecting, as the matter is too involved for treatment in these pages, and also because such admirable books as "Chats on Old Prints," by Arthur Hayden, already cover the ground. Here we propose to talk of military prints as they affect the general collector of military curios.
Printed pictures of soldiers and soldiery are to be found dating back almost to the days of Caxton, but those coming within the period 1750-1860 seem to be the most interesting. Probably this is due, in the main, to three reasons. First, the period was one of much military unrest, and people's interests were largely centred on the army. Secondly, the costumes of the various regiments were attractive and showy, and lent themselves to pictorial treatment. And thirdly, the art of printing had reached a stage when reproductions were no longer so expensive as to be almost prohibitive in price.
Most of the prints which we have seen of this period were originally published as illustrations to books, a good number were issued as sets in portfolios, whilst a few were sold separately. The books which contain these military pictures, especially when the latter are coloured, fetch high prices, but fortunately the collector can become conversant with these gems of the printer's art in such treasure-houses as the British Museum and the South Kensington Museum. Those of us who can afford to buy perfect copies of such illustrated works will find admirable collections for sale at Messrs. Maggs Brothers, in the Strand; Messrs. Robson & Co., in Coventry Street, W.C.; and Messrs. Henry Sotheran & Co., in Piccadilly.
But though these works, illustrated with military prints, are costly, the collector of moderate means may gather together quite an extensive collection of the pictures, torn from the complete works, at no great outlay. It may seem surprising to all of us who are curio-lovers but it is a fact that there are still people who are so ignorant of the value of books and pictures that they will snatch out the illustrations from priceless volumes and sell the former for a few coppers, throwing away the letterpress. Only the other day we were talking with a friendly collector who showed us a batch of Ackermann's coloured plates which he had obtained for a few pence each, although the actual value was, at the least, half a guinea per copy.
The collector, therefore, must be on the look-out for bargains of this nature; he will find them in the portfolios which usually encumber the doorways of the second-hand booksellers in Charing Cross Road, Praed Street, Museum Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, and the stalls along Farringdon Road. In these interesting quarries he will assuredly make discoveries from time to time; so he will if he keeps an eye on establishments of a similar nature in the outskirts of London.
NAPOLEON'S CARRIAGE ARRIVING AT THE LONDON MUSEUM.
By Cruikshank.
A few general words on the value of military prints may be of interest. Those which depict types of soldiers are generally more sought after than those representing battle scenes; those of noted commanders are, of course, valuable, but representations of little-known commanders, wearing perhaps court rather than military dress, are not in much demand. Pictures in which soldiers play a minor part are also of little interest to the collector of military curios, as there is always a possibility that the uniforms have been drawn more with the idea of being picturesque than accurate. Machine-coloured pictures are, of course, highly treasured, as they give a much better idea of the uniforms than do monochromes. When hand-coloured there is no guarantee of correct impression; in fact such pictures are often glaringly misleading.