R.J.R.F. Prisoner's Last Farewell 'The Condemned Cell' Cartoon

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An original 1891 pen & ink drawing – R.J.R.F., Prisoner's Last Farewell 'The Condemned Cell' Cartoon.

An original cartoon, hand-drawn on a trip to Germany in 1891. Written on the verso are two stanzas from Lord Byron's romantic short lyric, 'To Mary, on Receiving Her Picture'.

The artist is believed to be Lieutenant Reginald John Russell Fulford (1871–1892), who served with the Middlesex Regiment, an infantry regiment of the British Army. Fulford died young, just one year after sketching this drawing, at Quetta, India (modern-day Pakistan).

This is one of a collection of cartoons that we have for sale by Fulford sketched in Germany in 1891.

+ Read the S&W Collection Research

German Sojourn 1891: R.J.R.F. Satirical Cartoons

The artist R.J.R.F. is believed to be Lieutenant Reginald John Russell Fulford (1871–1892), based on the Fulford provenance of the collection. Born in India, he was the son of Captain Cecil John Russell Fulford, who was shot and died at Peshawar in 1882. His paternal grandfather was Admiral John Fulford, R.N., born at Great Fulford, Devon. Reginald John Russell Fulford was educated at Wellington College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.

In 1891, the year that these sketches were executed, Fulford was a recent graduate of Sandhurst and joined the Middlesex Regiment. These German sketches are light-hearted and recreational, but feature some military figures and national stereotypes, revealing a time of growing tensions between Britain and Germany in the 1890s. The drawings were perhaps created on a final trip abroad before secondment back to the East. Poignantly, the young Fulford would die just one year later, at Quetta, India (modern-day Pakistan).

+ Artwork Details

Dimensions: Height: 11.5cm (4.53") Width: 20.3cm (7.99")

Presented: Unframed.

Medium: Pen & Ink

Age: Late 19th-century

Signed: Initialled lower right.

Inscribed: Inscribed lower centre.

Dated: --

Condition: In good condition for its age. The picture may have minor imperfections such as slight marks, toning, foxing, creasing or pinholes, commensurate with age. Please see photos for detail.

Stock number: KD-169