Yesterday’s Autograph Hound Saturday was pretty cool — so what’s up for Autograph Hound Super-Sunday?
Brian Leno has been keeping his eye on the calendar, too — 135 years slips past so quickly!
Adventure, John Hancocks, Last Stands. . . .
Here’s Brian with a quick history lesson:
I ordered a book from Paris the other day — an 1866 copy of Irving’s The Sketch Book which was signed by George W. Joy, a pretty famous English painter. Joy is the guy that did the great painting of General Chinese Gordon’s Last Stand at Khartoum in 1885.
Joy didn’t do any illustrations for Irving’s book yet he still signed it March 13, 1869 and added the name of the Paris hotel where he was probably staying. Possibly his own copy.
A cool thing about the Joy signature is that, on Wikipedia, it states the painter was living in Paris from 1868 to 1870, which really validates the autograph.
Gordon’s life and the Siege of Khartoum came to an end on January 26, 1885. The stuff of legend. One of my heroes from the earliest reading days of my childhood.
The signed note by General Gordon is from January 29, 1875, and is one of two items I have with the brave man’s scribble.
I’ve seen a few Gordon signatures out there, but he isn’t cheap.
Autographs of tough bastards should never be purchased cheaply.
