Description

Dodgson, Charles (1832 – 1898)

An original sketch by Lewis Carroll
An original ink illustration for chapter 10 (‘Bruno’s Revenge’) of ‘Sylvie and Bruno’ by Lewis Carroll, signed with initials, “L.C.”. The detailed drawing shows Bruno sitting on a large dead mouse with a cluster of hare-bells in his hand, facing the narrator. Sylvie can been seen in the background, making her way tentatively through some vegetation. The caption below reads, “‘Hush Bruno! I interrupted in a warning whisper. ‘She’s coming!'”. Neatly laid down to a 4.5″ X 7″ card and in very fine condition. A handwritten note to the reverse indicates that this sketch was given to one of Dodgson’s child-friends, Ella Bickersteth (nee Monier-Williams), the note having been written by Bickersteth’s grandson, Bishop John Bickersteth. Together with a letter from the same, oulining his grandmother’s friendship with Dodgson and passing on an amusing anecdote about the author. This sketch was not in fact included in the Sylvie and Bruno book, though the illustrator, Harry Furniss, used a similar image in chapter 10, presumably based on Dodgson’s. This sketch is illustrated on page 51 of ‘The Letters of Lewis Carroll’ (Macmillan, 1933) – a copy of this book will be included in the sale of this sketch. An incredible and rare item with impeccable provenance.