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Published by Robson & Kerslake within their 1885 edition of Dickens's Oliver Twist, and later published as Twenty-one illustrations to Oliver Twist the following year by the same publishers. In 1899, George Somes Layard wrote that Pailthorpe was "the last illustrator to carry on the tradition of Cruikshank and H. K. Browne". Frederick W. Pailthorpe (1838-1914), the etcher and illustrator, also published illustrations for The Posthumous Papers of The Pickwick Club in 1882 and Great Expectations in 1885. The artist noted that, of his Dickens illustrations, "I don't think the Oliver Twist is the worst of the three". Simon Houfe states that the artist's watercolours "are very Georgian in spirit and reminiscent of the work of H. K. Browne" (p. 250). The 20 watercolours, presented here, are titled: 1. "Oliver is taken to the workhouse", 2. "Goodness gracious! is that you, Mr Bumble, Sir?", 3. "Did you want a coffin, Sir?", 4. "Noah Claypole running for Mr Bumble", 5. "Good-bye, dear! God bless you!", 6. "Hullo! my covey, what's the row?", 7. "The merry old gentleman's pretty little game", 8. "The return of the boys without Oliver", 9. "Look here! do you see this?", 10. "The horse whose health had been drunk", 11. "Inexplicable conduct of Mr Bumble", 12. "The Free and Easy", 13. "Master O-li-ver!", 14. "Bumble Triumphant", 15. "Mr Crackit's good natur'", 16. "Has it long gone the half-hour?", 17. "A foul deed", 18. "The antic fellow and Sikes", 19. "The inconvenience Published by Robson & Kerslake within their 1885 edition of Dickens's Oliver Twist, and later published as Twenty-one illustrations to Oliver Twist the following year by the same publishers. In 1899, George Somes Layard wrote that Pailthorpe was "the last illustrator to carry on the tradition of Cruikshank and H. K. Browne". Frederick W. Pailthorpe (1838-1914), the etcher and illustrator, also published illustrations for The Posthumous Papers of The Pickwick Club in 1882 and Great Expectations in 1885. The artist noted that, of his Dickens illustrations, "I don't think the Oliver Twist is the worst of the three". Simon Houfe states that the artist's watercolours "are very Georgian in spirit and reminiscent of the work of H. K. Browne" (p. 250). The 20 watercolours, presented here, are titled: 1. "Oliver is taken to the workhouse", 2. "Goodness gracious! is that you, Mr Bumble, Sir?", 3. "Did you want a coffin, Sir?", 4. "Noah Claypole running for Mr Bumble", 5. "Good-bye, dear! God bless you!", 6. "Hullo! my covey, what's the row?", 7. "The merry old gentleman's pretty little game", 8. "The return of the boys without Oliver", 9. "Look here! do you see this?", 10. "The horse whose health had been drunk", 11. "Inexplicable conduct of Mr Bumble", 12. "The Free and Easy", 13. "Master O-li-ver!", 14. "Bumble Triumphant", 15. "Mr Crackit's good natur'", 16. "Has it long gone the half-hour?", 17. "A foul deed", 18. "The antic fellow and Sikes", 19. "The inconvenience of having long legs", 20. "Don't come near me, you monster!" This set lacks the final illustration ("Mr Claypole earning a genteel subsistence") and an autograph letter signed from the illustrator to an early owner, which are noted in previous auction records. Nevertheless, original artwork for Dickens novels is rare and this is a very attractive group. Provenance: C. E. Lauriat (c. 1913); Seth E. Thomas, Jr. (sold Parke-Bernet Galleries, 10/11 January 1949); Saul Cohn (sold Parke-Bernet Galleries, 18/19 October 1955). READ MORE 20 original drawings (average 100 x 80 mm) on tissue paper (average 135 x 100 mm), each laid down to boards (216 x 137mm), pencil and watercolour, each captioned and signed ("F.W. Pailthorpe"), first board inscribed "These 21 sketches to Oliver Twist are by me - F.W. Pailthorpe". Housed in a custom full green morocco folding case by Riviere. Watercolours bright and unfaded, some consistent browning, closed tears to tissue paper for nine watercolours (numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 17, 18 and 20); folding case sunned at spine with losses to watered silk lining. A very good set. Layard, "Suppressed Plates", The Pall Mall Magazine, March 1899, pp. 341-8; Houfe, The Dictionary of 19th Century British Book Illustrators and Caricaturists, 1998.

Oliver Twist; or, the Parish Boy's Progress is Charles Dickens's second novel, and was first published as a serial from 1837 to 1839. The story centers on orphan Oliver Twist, born in a workhouse and sold into apprenticeship with an undertaker. After escaping, Oliver travels to London, where he meets the 'Artful Dodger', a member of a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the elderly criminal Fagin.