Album of humorous pen and ink sketches

[United Kingdom : “R.T.”, circa 1890]. Square octavo album, 180 x 155 mm, blind embossed green cloth boards lettered in gilt “Scrap Album”; front hinge split; recto of first leaf with pen and ink sketch bearing the owner-artist’s initials “R.T.” on an artist’s palette; containing [20] pen and ink sketches and one watercolour on the rectos of the leaves, with a few additional sketches executed on the versos; many of the sketches are accompanied by the artist’s manuscript captions beneath; some very mild scattered foxing and occasional toning, but essentially the works are in good condition throughout.

A charming album of amusing and quirky sketches, the most effective and original of which tend to be simple compositions with imaginary subject matter. Several of these show the influence of Edward Lear or Lewis Carroll. Although the artist is only identified by the initials “R.T.”, the album may be approximately dated by a topical reference to Edison’s electric light bulb superseding gaslight, and by the style of clothing worn by the various human subjects.