Manner of John Leech Miss W Dismissing Her Tea-Party

An original mid-19th-century pen & ink drawing, Manner of John Leech, Miss W Dismissing Her Tea-Party.

A fantastic comic sketch. The style and subject resembles the work of the celebrated Punch illustrator John Leech (1817–1864).

Born in London, John Leech initially studied medicine at St Bartholomew's Hospital, but showing promise as an artist from a very early age, he gradually moved towards an artistic profession. In the 1840s he produced etchings for various magazines, including Bentley's Miscellany, Shilling Magazine and notably, the first illustrations for Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. In 1841 Leech's lifelong connection with Punch began. His drawings for Punch, reproduced as wood engravings, the work for which he is most celebrated. He also became well known for hunting and sporting subjects, many of which were produced for The Illustrated London News.

On watermarked J Whatman laid paper. The verso of the sheet bears the stamp (ABV) of Albert van Loock, a Belgian expert bookseller, book publisher and dealer in old prints and drawings in Brussels. Van Loock had become friends with several artists, including René Magritte. He also built up a private collection which includes works by Flemish masters, but also around a thousand drawings from all periods. Van Loock did not have a collector's mark, but on the drawings and prints he sold, he placed two dealer's marks, one, consisting of the initials ABV, which we encounter most often, the other, the initials ALV. See Lugt L.3751.

Provenance: William Drummond (Covent Garden Gallery, London).