first edition
by HEATH, Henry
London: W.Spooner, 1830. A Most Delightful Group of Characters by Henry Heath
HEATH, Henry, illustrator. Heath's Oddities. London: W. Spooner, [c.1830].
Large quarto (11 3/4 x 9 1/4 inches; 298 x 235 mm.). Hand colored lithograph title and twenty-two numbered hand colored lithograph plates, all with head-title "Heath's Oddities." Six plates signed "HH" and two other plates with "H.H. Delt." Extra-illustrated with three original watercolors for plates 14, 32 and 35 (facing plates on an inserted leaf, each with a manuscript caption).
Bound by Rivière and Son, ca. 1910. Full olive green morocco, covers ruled in gilt, spine ruled and lettered in gilt in compartments, gilt ruled board edges and decorative gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt. Housed in a fleece-lined brown cloth slipcase. Expertly and almost invisibly rebacked with the original spine laid down.
The Schwerdt copy of this scarce series with three of the original watercolors by Henry Heath added at a later date most probably by Joel Spitz. The satirical plates depict both social and sporting scenes.
Schwerdt had another example under the the title "Toast & Oddities" which had thirty-eight plates + Toast & Sentiments (seven plates) making a total of forty-five plates. "Although the title here differs from that of Heath's "Oddities," 38 plates included in both publications are identical. In the present issue, however, there are seven additional plates of "Toasts & Sentiments." (Schwerdt I, pp. 236/237).
The title Heath's Oddities appears to be a generic one. Over the past fifty-five years we have now handled three examples: The first one in 1998 contained twenty-four hand colored lithographs; the second in 2018 contained sixty-eight hand colored lithographs by Henry & William Heath; and now the Schwerdt/Spitz copy with thirty-eight hand colored lithographs. We have checked the present copy against the one we sold in 2018 and whilst a few of the plates are the same, the vast majority are different. This of course contradicts what Schwerdt said. Whatever the case, these are exceptionally rare hand colored lithograph caricatures. We believe that they were never published as book but collected sometime after the 1820s and 1830s and then later assembled into these fantastic albums.
An amusing and exceedingly rare group of caricatures by Henry Heath depicting mainly humorous sporting scenes. Heath "did imitation caricatures in the style of John Doyle 'HB' signed 'HH' for Messrs. Fores, 1831 and etched vignettes in the style of Cruikshank and lithographs in the style of Seymore from 1834. He was employed to make political caricatures by Spooner, the publisher and his work was collected and published by Charles Tilt" (Houfe, The Dictionary of British Book Illustrators and Caricaturists 1800-1914, p. 337).
OCLC/KVK locates just one example in libraries and institutions worldwide: Harvard University (MA, US).
The Victoria & Albert Museum in London have just twelve of the thirty-eight plates.
Provenance: C.F.G.R. Schwerdt (bookplate; Sotheby's London, 10th July 1939, lot 1515) and Joel Spitz (bookplate; Christie's, 27th May 2015, lot 59 - £4,000)
Bobins IV, 1340; Schwerdt I, 236 (before the addition of the three original watercolor drawings).
The Plates:
1. Vy if it aint a regler Preserve!!
2. This warm shower vill set em a biting!!
3. May the present moment be the worst of our lives!
4. Hanged if I arnt leaving every thing behind!
5. We shall certainly bring down something directly.
6. Egad! I'm afeard I've shot Phillpot.
7. Well Jack, do they bite? I b'lieve yer, and plaguy sharp too, Zur!!
8. You aint seen a little bit of a Pig, have yer Gentlemen? Pig? No! Do you take us for a couple of Pig stealers, good homan?
9. THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER NO.1. The Turn out in the Morning. I say, Filkins, that's as right as a trivit - aint it?
10. THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER NO.2. Only a trifling Mistake. My good feller, we took you for one o' them things as frightens the Birds!
11. THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER NO.3. Filkins losing his feit but not his Feeling! Gad, Filkins, I should have hit him that time if your Head had not been in the way.
12. THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER NO.4. The Sportsmen's return. How is your head, Filkins, vill yer have a bit o' Turnip?
13. Relief again! Why you had two shillings the week afore last! Your a regler Himposter I'll give yer a Ticket to break stones!
14. We've threatened to come and dine with you a long time, and here We are at last.
15. I say, Sam, is Crows good eating? Good eating! Why they're beautiful with sage & onion!
16. My good feller I've come down to have a week's regler Peasant Shooting! Lord Zur you beant in arnest surely!
17. Here's a pretty go! My friend Hitchin blow'd away and taken my shot belt with him!
18. Stand fast, Higginbottom, we shall have rare sport directly!
19. Jack how can I get to Cover? Why Zir, I doant know yaw mought come in here only the Sow be got Young uns.
20. Spring Guns! The Deuce! Then I shant go over.
21. Tally-Ho! Eh? I shall Cut it I wonder how the devil they knew I was a Tally Man?
22. I beg your pardon Zir but you be'nt seen my Feythur ha'ye? Your Father Lord a mercy upon me No!!!
23. Vot is that you Mister Sykes? Vell you does it up pretty midfinish I must say!!! Vy our perfession is werry dull so I'm agoing to take a bit of a Untin Tower.
24. Drunk? Vell every Body must get drunk now according to Hact o'Parliament!!
25. My good Lady vos your'n a game un? Cos this aint.
26. My good Fellow how are we to get out o' this. We what be there more than one o'yer?
27. I thought they wouldn't Dare to come out while I was here!!
28. Vot Old Stump's gone at last? They say as how he died insolwent! I'll lay yer a Pot he didn't - for he died over at Charlie Mags's in - Vestminster!
29. I say my Lad where do they let out Jack Asses? Why where you lodges to be sure!
30. O! Steward! I've been so precious sick! Have you Sir? Can I bring anything up for you? Oh! Don't mention it!!
31. Well, I must say, Marm, that's wery perlite! I see as how you don't stand on trifles!
32. I say, Bates, what's Physiognomy? "Physiognomy" - why if you look at a person's...
33. As I'm a hindependent Helector, I means to give my Wote according to conscience, and him as Tips most!
34. Neighbour Scrap'em wots the defference ‘tween a Whig and a Tory? Between a Whig and a Tory? Let me see, Why just as much as between a Tory and a Whig!
35. Vy Mister Nibs ye'r never comes amongst us now at the old shop! Cos I goes to our Diwan now, regler, every Night!!
36. ‘Stitchem, do you take Coffee with yr Cigar? Eh? - Oh! - No! Iced Rose Water!
37. Let's have half a Quarten o' Champagne!
38. Please Missis Skinflint, Mother says will you give her change for Sixpence and she will send you the sixpence next week? (Inventory #: 05682)
HEATH, Henry, illustrator. Heath's Oddities. London: W. Spooner, [c.1830].
Large quarto (11 3/4 x 9 1/4 inches; 298 x 235 mm.). Hand colored lithograph title and twenty-two numbered hand colored lithograph plates, all with head-title "Heath's Oddities." Six plates signed "HH" and two other plates with "H.H. Delt." Extra-illustrated with three original watercolors for plates 14, 32 and 35 (facing plates on an inserted leaf, each with a manuscript caption).
Bound by Rivière and Son, ca. 1910. Full olive green morocco, covers ruled in gilt, spine ruled and lettered in gilt in compartments, gilt ruled board edges and decorative gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt. Housed in a fleece-lined brown cloth slipcase. Expertly and almost invisibly rebacked with the original spine laid down.
The Schwerdt copy of this scarce series with three of the original watercolors by Henry Heath added at a later date most probably by Joel Spitz. The satirical plates depict both social and sporting scenes.
Schwerdt had another example under the the title "Toast & Oddities" which had thirty-eight plates + Toast & Sentiments (seven plates) making a total of forty-five plates. "Although the title here differs from that of Heath's "Oddities," 38 plates included in both publications are identical. In the present issue, however, there are seven additional plates of "Toasts & Sentiments." (Schwerdt I, pp. 236/237).
The title Heath's Oddities appears to be a generic one. Over the past fifty-five years we have now handled three examples: The first one in 1998 contained twenty-four hand colored lithographs; the second in 2018 contained sixty-eight hand colored lithographs by Henry & William Heath; and now the Schwerdt/Spitz copy with thirty-eight hand colored lithographs. We have checked the present copy against the one we sold in 2018 and whilst a few of the plates are the same, the vast majority are different. This of course contradicts what Schwerdt said. Whatever the case, these are exceptionally rare hand colored lithograph caricatures. We believe that they were never published as book but collected sometime after the 1820s and 1830s and then later assembled into these fantastic albums.
An amusing and exceedingly rare group of caricatures by Henry Heath depicting mainly humorous sporting scenes. Heath "did imitation caricatures in the style of John Doyle 'HB' signed 'HH' for Messrs. Fores, 1831 and etched vignettes in the style of Cruikshank and lithographs in the style of Seymore from 1834. He was employed to make political caricatures by Spooner, the publisher and his work was collected and published by Charles Tilt" (Houfe, The Dictionary of British Book Illustrators and Caricaturists 1800-1914, p. 337).
OCLC/KVK locates just one example in libraries and institutions worldwide: Harvard University (MA, US).
The Victoria & Albert Museum in London have just twelve of the thirty-eight plates.
Provenance: C.F.G.R. Schwerdt (bookplate; Sotheby's London, 10th July 1939, lot 1515) and Joel Spitz (bookplate; Christie's, 27th May 2015, lot 59 - £4,000)
Bobins IV, 1340; Schwerdt I, 236 (before the addition of the three original watercolor drawings).
The Plates:
1. Vy if it aint a regler Preserve!!
2. This warm shower vill set em a biting!!
3. May the present moment be the worst of our lives!
4. Hanged if I arnt leaving every thing behind!
5. We shall certainly bring down something directly.
6. Egad! I'm afeard I've shot Phillpot.
7. Well Jack, do they bite? I b'lieve yer, and plaguy sharp too, Zur!!
8. You aint seen a little bit of a Pig, have yer Gentlemen? Pig? No! Do you take us for a couple of Pig stealers, good homan?
9. THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER NO.1. The Turn out in the Morning. I say, Filkins, that's as right as a trivit - aint it?
10. THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER NO.2. Only a trifling Mistake. My good feller, we took you for one o' them things as frightens the Birds!
11. THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER NO.3. Filkins losing his feit but not his Feeling! Gad, Filkins, I should have hit him that time if your Head had not been in the way.
12. THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER NO.4. The Sportsmen's return. How is your head, Filkins, vill yer have a bit o' Turnip?
13. Relief again! Why you had two shillings the week afore last! Your a regler Himposter I'll give yer a Ticket to break stones!
14. We've threatened to come and dine with you a long time, and here We are at last.
15. I say, Sam, is Crows good eating? Good eating! Why they're beautiful with sage & onion!
16. My good feller I've come down to have a week's regler Peasant Shooting! Lord Zur you beant in arnest surely!
17. Here's a pretty go! My friend Hitchin blow'd away and taken my shot belt with him!
18. Stand fast, Higginbottom, we shall have rare sport directly!
19. Jack how can I get to Cover? Why Zir, I doant know yaw mought come in here only the Sow be got Young uns.
20. Spring Guns! The Deuce! Then I shant go over.
21. Tally-Ho! Eh? I shall Cut it I wonder how the devil they knew I was a Tally Man?
22. I beg your pardon Zir but you be'nt seen my Feythur ha'ye? Your Father Lord a mercy upon me No!!!
23. Vot is that you Mister Sykes? Vell you does it up pretty midfinish I must say!!! Vy our perfession is werry dull so I'm agoing to take a bit of a Untin Tower.
24. Drunk? Vell every Body must get drunk now according to Hact o'Parliament!!
25. My good Lady vos your'n a game un? Cos this aint.
26. My good Fellow how are we to get out o' this. We what be there more than one o'yer?
27. I thought they wouldn't Dare to come out while I was here!!
28. Vot Old Stump's gone at last? They say as how he died insolwent! I'll lay yer a Pot he didn't - for he died over at Charlie Mags's in - Vestminster!
29. I say my Lad where do they let out Jack Asses? Why where you lodges to be sure!
30. O! Steward! I've been so precious sick! Have you Sir? Can I bring anything up for you? Oh! Don't mention it!!
31. Well, I must say, Marm, that's wery perlite! I see as how you don't stand on trifles!
32. I say, Bates, what's Physiognomy? "Physiognomy" - why if you look at a person's...
33. As I'm a hindependent Helector, I means to give my Wote according to conscience, and him as Tips most!
34. Neighbour Scrap'em wots the defference ‘tween a Whig and a Tory? Between a Whig and a Tory? Let me see, Why just as much as between a Tory and a Whig!
35. Vy Mister Nibs ye'r never comes amongst us now at the old shop! Cos I goes to our Diwan now, regler, every Night!!
36. ‘Stitchem, do you take Coffee with yr Cigar? Eh? - Oh! - No! Iced Rose Water!
37. Let's have half a Quarten o' Champagne!
38. Please Missis Skinflint, Mother says will you give her change for Sixpence and she will send you the sixpence next week? (Inventory #: 05682)