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Published by the Mary Evans Picture Library 59 Tranquil Vale, London SE3 0BS T: 020 8318 0034 www.maryevans.com E: [email protected] MARY EVANS Issue 6, October 2011 Nameplate image ClassicStock/Mary Evans 1 4 6 8 10 11 12 ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... Prince of Hearts Going for Gold Gone to the Dogs A Fine Christmas Spread Fondest Regards, George A Week in the Life Truck On T he Illustrated London News archive holds one particularly rare and unusual edition. It is the Coronation Number of King Edward VIII, a 'dummy' issue, prepared in advance and filled with photographs of the King's early life and numerous blank pages awaiting photographs of the coronation itself. But Edward was the King who was never crowned and subsequently, this ILN Coronation Number was the issue that never made it to the printing presses. It is a poignant reminder of a love story that changed history. It will be 75 years this December since the 42-year-old King who had ruled less than a year, sat at a desk in Buckingham Palace and made his historic broadcast to the nation: "But you must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love." They were words that divided a nation. Was the King a hopeless romantic or spineless coward? Stubborn and intransigent, or a victim of unbending constitutional rules? Should he have given up the woman he loved rather than given up the throne? The debate simmers on. A new f ilm, 'W.E.', directed by Madonna, has re- ignited public interest in the tale of Wallis and Edward; a recent book, by Anne S e b b a borrows its title, 'That Woman', from the Queen Mother's withering description of the Duchess of Windsor. Even the Oscar-winning film, 'The King's Speech', paints Edward VIII as a bully, poking fun at his younger brother's speech impediment. It seems that f inding a true, balanced picture of the abdication crisis and its protagonists is still frustratingly elusive. Prince of Hearts Edward, Prince of Wales in 1928, Illustrated London News, 8th December 1928 (image 10215911) © Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans PICTURE LIBRARY

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Published by the Mary Evans Picture Library59 Tranquil Vale, London SE3 0BST: 020 8318 0034 www.maryevans.comE: [email protected]

MARY EVANS

Issue 6, October 2011

Nameplate image ClassicStock/Mary Evans

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Prince of Hearts

Going for Gold

Gone to the Dogs

A Fine Christmas Spread

Fondest Regards, George

A Week in the Life

Truck On

The Illustrated London Newsarchive holds one particularlyrare and unusual edition. It is the

Coronation Number of King Edward VIII, a'dummy' issue, prepared in advance andf illed with photographs of the King's earlylife and numerous blank pages awaitingphotographs of the coronation itself. ButEdward was the King who was nevercrowned and subsequently, this ILNCoronation Number was the issue thatnever made it to the printing presses. It is apoignant reminder of a love story thatchanged history.

It will be 75 years this December since the42-year-old King who had ruled less than ayear, sat at a desk in Buckingham Palaceand made his historic broadcast to thenation:

"But you must believe me when I tell youthat I have found it impossible to carry theheavy burden of responsibility and todischarge my duties as king as I would wishto do without the help and support of thewoman I love."

They were words that divided a nation. Wasthe King a hopeless romantic or spinelesscoward? Stubborn and intransigent, or a

victim of unbendingconstitutional rules?Should he have givenup the woman heloved rather thangiven up the throne?The debate simmerson. A new f ilm,'W.E.', directed byMadonna, has re-ignited publicinterest in thetale of Wallisand Edward; arecent book,by AnneS e b b aborrows itstitle, 'ThatWoman ' ,from the QueenMother's witheringdescription of the Duchess ofWindsor. Even the Oscar-winning f ilm,'The King's Speech', paints Edward VIII as abully, poking fun at his younger brother'sspeech impediment. It seems that f inding atrue, balanced picture of the abdicationcrisis and its protagonists is stillfrustratingly elusive.

Prince of

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Edward, Prince of Walesin 1928, IllustratedLondon News,8th December 1928(image 10215911)

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The holdings at Mary Evans do little tounravel this controversy but what they doreveal is that as far as the media was

concerned, Edward, Prince ofWales was the country'svery own PrinceCharming. An attractivechild with blond locksand chubby cheeks, hewas photographedrelentlessly. Slow tomature, he joined theGrenadier Guards duringWorld War One (asperhaps their shortestrecruit), but saw no action,f inding his true talentduring royal tours in his

twenties. 'Welcome Home' exclaimed TheTatler magazine, featuring the royal pin-upon their front cover, grinning widely after atwo-month tour of the USA and Canada in

1919. He appeared on chocolate boxes andas a cigarette brand, while the illustratedmagazines delighted in capturing himhunting, golf ing, piloting his Puss Moth orelse gamely dressed up in the traditionalcostume of whatever country he wasvisiting. A tiny picture in The IllustratedSporting & Dramatic News from 1931 showsthe Prince on safari in the company ofDenys Finch-Hatton, he of 'Out of Africa'fame. Fashionable, dapper and sporty, heenraged his father with his outlandishclothes but captured the mood of the era,and had, what many referred to as, 'thecommon touch'. A month before hisabdication, he famously remarked,'Something MUST be done', when visitingthe impoverished striking miners of South

Wales. His voiced concern, thoughineffectual, garnered widespread approval.

But on the evidence of letters and personaltestimonies, Edward, Prince of Wales wasno paragon of virtue. Known to enjoyplayboy pursuits, when writing to hismistress Freda Dudley-Ward he is self-absorbed, indolent, sometimes petulant,f inding his family and royal dutiesirksome. An article in Britannia & Evemagazine in 1929 investigating, 'Why thePrince Does Not Marry' runs a quote fromEdward who explained to a conf idante,'During twelve hours of every day, I have tobe what other people want me to be. Therest of the time I can be myself. If I married,I should have to spend the rest of my timebeing what my wife wanted me to be.' In1931, he met Mrs Ernest Simpson at a partyand the rest, as they say, is history.

As the King's affair with Wallis gainedmomentum, star struck naivety turned tocomplicity when the British press closedranks to prevent news of Wallis andEdward's affair reaching the public. InMarch 1935, Wallis had appeared on thefront cover of The Sketch, described simplyas, 'the beautiful wife of Mr. ErnestSimpson… one of the many attractiveAmericans in London society'. Others wereless generous in their assessment of Wallis.Politician and diarist Chips Cannondescribed her as 'jolly plain'. A year later,Wallis pops up in a photograph at theopening of Quaglino's restaurant in TheBystander. With no gossipy caption shecould still be just another socialite.

And so for the general public, the crisis ofDecember 1936 came as a shock. Littlewonder that many rested the blame for theloss of their royal golden Adonis at the doorof the twice-divorced American adven-turess who had bewitched him. For thesympathetic romantics however, their lovestory struck a chord. The Saturday Reviewof 19th December 1936 published a shortpoem on their cover pledging theirallegiance to the ex-king - 'Goodbye,Goodbye, We cry with a sigh, Driven away,By a law that's a lie, Great King and TrueLover, For you we would die.'

Noel Coward was considerably lesssentimental suggesting a statue of MrsSimpson be erected in every town inEngland - in thanks for saving Englandfrom King Edward VIII.

Luci Gosling 20112

Edward, Prince of Wales was no paragon of virtue,finding his family and royal duties irksome.

Prince of Wales chocolates,1930 (image 10084820), andadvertisement for PrinceCharming cigarettes,Illustrated London News, 17thFebruary 1923 (image10224219)

Edward playing golf in Biarritz,Illustrated Sporting andDramatic News,24th September 1932(image 10510919)

Edward, Prince of Walesshaking hands with a coalminer at Middlestone Moor inCounty Durham, during histour of the coalfields in 1929,(image 10224130)

John Maclellan/Mary Evans and© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans

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Above: cover of the published transcript of theabdication speech broadcast on 11thDecember 1936 (image 10070262)Le Petit Journal cover, 13th December 1936,asking the question ‘Love or Crown?’ (image10018106)The Tatler front cover, 3rd December 1919,welcoming Edward home from a tour: ‘thewhole of his future subjects love him’ (image10282237)Why the Prince Does Not Marry, Britannia &Eve, November 1929 (image 10224105)ILN Coronation Number for Edward VIII (image10224128)

Top: headline in the New York DailyMirror, 26th October 1936 (image10224122)Above: Wallis and Edward at theChateau de Cande, May 1937 (image10224215)Above right: The Sketch, 27th March1935: ‘the beautiful wife of Mr ErnestSimpson’ (image 10224129)Right: car in support of Edward duringthe abdication crisis of December 1936(image 10224205)

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The dream of discovering golden wealth has throughout history spurred theactions of adventurers, explorers, conquering armies and … chemists. At thecore of the pseudo-scientific tradition of alchemy (from an Arabic word

meaning transmutation) was the idea that base metals could be transformed throughchemical process by an all-powerful and legendary substance, the Philosopher's Stone, into gold andsilver. The Philosopher's Stone was also thought to have rejuvenatingproperties, a belief which captivated those with a lust for gain and thedream of extending and creating life.

The perception of alchemists today as a bunch of wild and bizarre medievalcharlatans, with crazy hair and crocodiles hanging from their ceilingsobscures past appraisals of their work as respected early chemists. The truthis probably somewhere in the middle. Serious studies by alchemists toexamine the physical properties of matter, combining elements of chemistry,botany and physics have been veiled by the mystic, inwardly-facing esotericnotions of the practitioners and their acolytes.

An alchemist’s workplace by GustaveDoré, c.1870 (image 10049779)

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An alchemist's laboratory 'kit' was vital for the standard procedures of heating, fusing,dissolving and filtering required to manipulate minerals, herbs and fluids. Dual stoves andcomplex twisted glass filtration tubes leading to round flasks are often depicted inillustrations relating to alchemy, and similar devices can still be purchased by buddingmodern alchemists. Another key ingredient for many alchemical experiments was sprigs ofthe mysterious herb known as 'lunary' (actually a plant called moonwort). This round-leafedplant grows on mountain slopes, and allegedly acquires great natural power by exposure tomoonlight.

If Paracelsus felt somewhatunfairly linked to alchemicalpractice, the linking of NicolasFlamel (1330-1418), amoderately well-off French

scribe and manuscript seller, to the greatest of all the alchemicalachievements is hard to pin to any substantial historical source. Flamelis claimed to have succeeded in the creation of the Philosopher's Stone,which could turn base lead into gold and create an elixir of life to givethe creator immortality. Some modern writers however see Flamel as anamateur enthusiast who, although obviously intrigued by alchemy, wasused by 17th-century editors as a suitable name to attach to a widevariety of earlier alchemical treaties. In the 19th century Flamel's workwas mentioned by Victor Hugo and Eric Satie and his achievementsreached an entirely new audience with the publication of J K Rowling'sbook 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', in which the boywizard sought to prevent Lord Voldemort getting hold of Flamel's famedcreation.

Small human-shaped figures supposedly created bycomplex chemical procedures, or as a result of thealchemist himself undergoing violent and ritualchange, are known as homunculi. Alchemic writingsnote the use of a mandrake root in the creation ofthese beings. The procedure of acquiring andhandling the root, which in form looks spookilysimilar to a human figure, needed to be followedprecisely; it included being picked before dawnon a Friday morning by a black dog, then 'fed'with milk or blood. Only then would the root

finally grow and change into thetiny figure, providing protectionto its creator.

Paracelsus (Theophrastus Bombastus vonHohenheim, 1493-1541) was a Germanphysician who began his careerinvestigating diseases suffered by miners.He criticized early 16th-century approachesto curing disease, favouring specific curesfor specific ailments and pioneered the useof mineral-based treatments, helping toestablish a role for chemistry in the field ofmedicine. Although oft-branded as thebest-known alchemist, Paracelsus himselfwas clear to define the nature of hisresearch, writing: "Many have said ofAlchemy, that it is for the making of goldand silver. For me such is not the aim, but toconsider only what virtue and power maylie in medicines."

Main image left: tradecard ofalchemist Richard Siddallc.1750 (image 10458869)Above: alchemical stove,woodcut c.1520 (image10235799)Left: alchemist producinghomunculus (image 10451051)Below left: Paracelsus (image10460228)Below right: Nicolas Flamel(image 10049449)Bottom: alchemist in workshop,David Teniers the Younger, 17thcentury (image 10445377)

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Above: Hares andGraces by HarryWoolley in TheBystander, 13th July1927 (image 10238126)

Top: Night racing underfloodlight in a stadium,by Major G. Paterson inThe Bystander, 19th April

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In the summer of 2008, WalthamstowStadium closed the doors of itsiconic art deco façade to race-goers

for the last time. Opened in 1933 byWilliam Chandler and remaining withinthe Chandler family for seventy years, itsclosure was put down to rising runningcosts and the abolition of off-site bettingduties. At the time of writing, the fate ofthe 'Stow' has been undecided. Offers tobuy the property from the owners,property developers London & Quadrant,have been refused while their recentplanning application has been vehementlyopposed by a local pressure group, 'SaveOur Stow' who hope the stadium can oneday return to its original purpose. Theclosure of Walthamstow left just twogreyhound stadiums still open in theGreater London area - Wimbledon, andRomford - which seems tragic for a sportwhich once welcomed a staggering25,000,000 people through the turnstiles ofits 52 licensed tracks, and employed 30,000people during its heyday in the 1930s.

It was a cement magnate Canadian,Brigadier-General Alfred Cecil Critchley,who f irst introduced greyhound racing aswe know it to Britain from America in 1926after forming a partnership with CharlesMunn, an American who saw the potentialof track-based greyhound racing with theuse of an electric hare. Critchley formedthe National Greyhound Racing

Association to regulate the sport andworked hard to give it anacceptable, almost glamorousveneer, and soon it was attracting"society" to the turnstiles, or more often, tothe elegant dining rooms and bar loungesattached to the huge, modern stadiumcomplexes. Wembley's Empire stadium forinstance had a dancing and diningroom of an area 15,000square feet where onethousand diners couldbe accommodated at atime, while out of itsten bars, one,according to theclaim of theS t a d i u mauthorities, wasthe longest in theworld.

To 21st centuryrace-goers whoassociate a nightat the dogs with arather earthycocktail ofwork-ing classbonhomie, flat caps and basket meals, itmay seem strange to envisage ladiesarriving at White City in their bias cut satinevening gowns. But, in fact, greyhoundracing of the 1930s attracted all levels ofsociety from the working classes f illing the

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stands to the well-heeled diners watchingin the raref ied environs of the stadiums'silver service restaurants. And smart,society ladies tended to have more than asuperf icial interest in the sport; many werebreeders, owners and trainers. One ladybreeder, Mrs C. Clarke who wrote a historyof the sport in 1934, noted that, "womenhave been the keenest supporters of trackracing from its commencement: they forma large proportion of the huge crowds seenat various tracks". Advertisements for racetracks bear out this claim, with illustrations

featuring the smart set in evening dresscheering on the winner. Mick the Miller,the most celebrated greyhound championwas owned by Mrs Arundel Kempton,whose husband had bought her the dog asa gift for an enormous sum - 2,000 guineasin 1929 (the equivalent of £91,500 today).The investment proved a canny one as thedog continued his winning streak beforepursuing a lucrative f ilm career. Patrons ofthe greyhound track included TallulahBankhead, Gracie Fields, Jack Buchananand even King Alfonso XIII of Spain whoenjoyed the 1930 Greyhound Derby atWhite City. It comes as no surprise that,when Walthamstow opened in 1933, thepioneering aviatrix, Amy Johnson, wascelebrity guest of honour. WinstonChurchill, M.P. for Woodford, was anotherfan of Walthamstow.

As the sport gained in popularity, so thegreyhound came to be a representative iconof the art deco period, its sleek, streamlinedappearance the embodiment of 1930s style.Greyhounds were the subjects of paintingand bronzes, and the wittiest cartoonists ofthe day drew inspiration from dog racing.And with their graceful, good looks andwinning ways, greyhounds proved excellentadvertising subjects, particularly for whiskybrands such as Johnny Walker and Black &White.

So where did it all go wrong, or, to coin aphrase, go to the dogs? Despite its hugesuccess, greyhound racing did have itsdetractors in the thirties, notably from theanti-gambling lobbyists who argued thatthe phenomenal rise in dog racing hadcontributed exponentially to an increase inbetting and the resulting social problems.Residential groups also opposed newproposed stadiums at Crystal Palace and

Greyhound racing of the 1930sattracted all levels of society.

A.C. Critchley, greyhoundracing pioneer(image 10238805)

Advertisement for ‘LadiesNight’ at White City Stadium inThe Bystander, 25th October1933 (image 10223133)

Dinner at White City stadium,The Tatler, 14th July 1937(image 10429001) To

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the Oval but the existing stadiums,numbering over forty by the late 1930scontinued to do a roaring trade. Althoughgreyhound racing had begun to fall out offavour with the middle classes by thebeginning of the Second World War, itremained the third most popular leisureactivity in Britain (behind cinema andfootball). Even in the late 20th century,greyhound racing enjoyed something of arenaissance: Walthamstow famously

welcomed Vinnie Jones and Brad Pittthrough its turnstiles for a good, old-fashioned night at the dogs. Some mighthave argued that there was still hope for thefuture of greyhound racing but theaccounts at Walthamstow apparently told adifferent story, and so it seems that the"Stow" has gone the way of Catford and thetwenty other greyhound stadiums that haveclosed over the past decade. Whateverhappens, one hopes that the well-loved,neon-lit façade will remain as a reminder ofthe stadium's halcyon days, but unlike thesociety ladies who once frequented thegreyhound stadiums of yesteryear, thisparticular lady will be all dressed up withnowhere to go.

Luci Gosling 2011

Neon frontage at Walthamstow Dog Racing Stadium,2008 (image 10238491)

Greyhounds, Wembley Stadium, 1932Mary Evans Picture Library(image 10086783)

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Christmas Day was f ixed on 25thDecember by the Church in AD 440,usefully falling exactly nine months,

ostensibly the length of a humanpregnancy, after Lady Day on 25th Marchwhich celebrates the Annunciation to theVirgin Mary. Of course, this may have beenone reason for choosing it, though as it alsocoincided with the date of the Romanwinter solstice, it had other advantages.

The tradition of decorating at Christmaswith particular plants also has paganconnections. The Roman festival of Saturn,which saw the temples festooned withgreenery, was held in December; druidswere associated with mistletoe and theSaxons used holly and ivy. These customswere incorporated into Christian practice,and symbolism better assimilated their use.Prickly holly with its red berries was held torepresent the Crown of Thorns borne byJesus at the Crucif ixion while the use ofevergreens at Christmas expresses the ideaof eternal life.

The f igures of Father Christmas and SantaClaus have varied roots, but have evolvedinto an interchangeable character typifyingthe spirit of good Christmas cheer. The 4th-century Saint Nicholas, whose Dutchdialect name Sinterklaas gives us SantaClaus, is associated with a legend thatnicely explains the origins of certainChristmas customs: a poor man who couldnot afford dowries for his three daughtersworried that they would remainunmarried and be forced into slavery orprostitution. To save them from this fate,Saint Nicholas threw three purses of gold,one by one, into the poor man's house. Onthe third occasion the man lay in wait todiscover the identity of his benefactor, butNicholas discovered the plan and droppedthe gold down the chimney instead,whereupon it fell into a stocking hungthere by one of the daughters to dry.

Jessica Talmage 2011

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,Here we come a-wassailing;Deck the halls, carve the turkey,Outside the weather’s cold and murky;Present-giving, mistletoe,Skating, sledging in the snow;Rudolph skims the chimney tops,Santa down the chimney hops.Two months to go, and here we seeA page of all things Christmassy.Some prefer these months to keepFree from what’s called Christmas creep,And yet we hope the pictures hereWill spread a little Christmas cheer.

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All images Mary Evans Picture Library except 10017157 ©Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans; 10211955 AisaMedia/Mary Evans; 10252342 and 10421723 Peter & DawnCope/Mary Evans; 10420001 Imagno/Mary Evans; 10474084National Archives/Mary Evans; 10499280 Retrograph/MaryEvans; and 10529405 The Scout Association/Mary Evans

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Clockwise from left: Christmas tree in town hallsquare, early 20th century postcard (image10016863)Boy hanging stocking, by Thomas Nast in Harper’sWeekly, c.1870 (image 10020727)

Merry-go-round on the ice, by Robert Barnesin The Graphic, Christmas Number 1890(image 10017157)The Nativity by Federico Barocci, 1597, inMuseo del Prado, Madrid (image10211955)Father Christmas delivering presents, late19th century French greetings card(image 10499280)Christmas baubles, The Delineator,December 1927 (image 10252342)Decking the tree, by Jessie WillcoxSmith in The Everyday Fairy Book byAnna Alice Chapin (image 10199983)Mistletoe, by Henrietta Grace Powell,c.1840 (image 10529405)The Christmas pudding by RieCramer, c.1920 (image 10421723)Tom Smith’s Christmas CrackerSurprises, 1907 (image 10474084)

Santa filling Christmas stockings withtoys, illustration by Arthur Rackham to Clement CMoore’s ‘The Night Before Christmas’, 1939 edition(image 10032871)Ice-skaking near Wimbledon, South London, C.1935(image 10420001)Traditional German Father Christmas, byWoldemarr Friedrich in Home Sunbeams, 1893(image 10003706)

In 1919, when CorporalGeorge Ranstead wasf inally de-mobilised,

he had, during his timeserving King and Country,amassed a substantialcollection of smallpostcards measuring 3 ½by 4 ½ inches, all handdrawn with delicate ink

illustrations. Like many soldiers of the GreatWar, George found amusement and solace indrawing and his wartime hobby produced 96individual sketches and cartoons, covering awide range of topical themes from wartimeprof iteering to the British soldiers' view of"Jerry". Unseen for more than 90 years, thepostcard pictures of George Ranstead werefound by an amateur collector at an antiques'fair and have only recently come to light.

George Greyham Ranstead was born in 1892 inIslington, London, the son of a printercompositor. By the outbreak of war, George'sparents appear to have died and he and his fouryounger sisters were living at 39, Mildmay Roadin Dalston. Living nearby was Jane "Jeannie"Richards, George's sweetheart who wouldbecome his wife in 1916. Before joining up,George worked as a clerk at a dealer in preciousstones in Hatton Gardens, London's jewelleryquarter, while Jeannie worked at Pike Brothers,a manufacturer of fancy goods located in whatis now the Barbican area. In 1916, Georgeentered the war serving in the Army Pay Corps,a non-combatant unit responsible foradministering the wages of Britain's Army.Some men, who were deemed unf it to serve ina combat role, were allocated to the APC andthough this may have been the case withGeorge, it is just as likely that his clerical skillswere best utilised in such a position. In anycase, we know that George spent some of thewar in France, rising from the rank of Private toCorporal. The heart-rending messages of lovehe sends to Jeannie from the Front contrastGeorge's innate sense of duty with anunderstandable yearning to be back home ineast London. His homemade picture postcardsoften show a genuine artistic talent, but theyare also a priceless reflection of the ordinarysoldier's experience and preoccupations duringwartime. The humour, wit and stoicism of hiscartoons are the legendary qualities of theordinary British Tommy.

Luci Gosling 2011

FondestRegards,GeorgePostcards from an amateur artist of the Great War

“ Dear Bob, Just a P.C. Am sorry that I haven't answered yourlast letter yet, but I will do so directly I get a bit of spare.This is my latest Hobby. Doing my own Picture P.Cs - someeconomy in war time isn't it. Cheers. Best regards, Bro. Geo.”

All images © Grenville Collins Postcard Collection/Mary Evans

Top left: personification of‘Brave Little Belgium’(image 10527705)Top right: A cartoonistdraws the Kaiser(image 10412078)Above: Minesweeper(image 10412079)Right: Patriotic navalofficer and lady (image10472402)Below: ‘Year 19-- Georgestill sketching!!’ Somesoldiers felt like the warmight never end, apopular subject forcartoonists (image10412085)Bottom right: British soldier,Gallipoli(image 10412083)

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A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF...

NO TWO DAYS IN THE PICTURE LIBRARY ARE THESAME: one minute I might be searchingfor depictions of alien abductions, thenext, the life and times of Ludwig vanBeethoven. It's like time travellingreally, weaving through the chaos ofHogarth's 'Gin Lane', crossing theblasted battlefields of the WesternFront, or marvelling at the glamourand impropriety of the Bright YoungThings in 1920s London.

Work begins with checking e-mailenquiries and also orders madethrough our website. Once any urgentrequests have been dealt with, I'llprioritise the remainder, and get towork on these. I deal specifically withpublishing clients so much of my timefocuses on book projects; this involvessourcing appropriate images for eachbrief, as well as sending across high-resolution images, negotiating ratesfor licensing and invoicing anyfinalised orders.

Often a search will involve more thanjust perusing our online database ofimages. In these cases, I'll eitherconsult our international agents'websites to see if they have anysuitable images or I'll explore what thearchive has to offer. As well as all theillustrated books, postcards,periodicals and catalogues, we alsohave filing cabinets brimming withimagery that hasn't yet made it to ourwebsite. These are categorised bytheme, for example: Food & Drink,Social Scenes, or Places. One jobwe're working on at present is

captioning and scanning these pictures, making asmuch of our core collection available to our clientsas possible.

If the picture enquiry is centred around aparticular 19th or 20th century historicalevent, the Illustrated London News Archivewill frequently be my first port of call. TheGreat Eight, comprised of such titles asThe Tatler, The Sphere and The Graphic,not to mention The Illustrated LondonNews itself, provide a huge array ofphotographs and engravings. It'seasy to get side-tracked byamusing advertisements ortales of intrigue, each a littlepiece of history in its ownright, and a reason whyMary Evans is so important inproviding an insight into allaspects of history, both great and small. It's a pleasureto dip into the archive and uncover something new,knowing that captioning and scanning it will shine aspotlight on a little bit more of the past.

My favourite projects are those I can really get myteeth into, ones that entail in-depth research and thepotential to uncover new material. One project Ienjoyed working on immensely was the book Jewelsof the Romanovs: Family & Court by an Italian author,Stefano Papi. His knowledge andenthusiasm for the subject matter –Russian royalty and their exquisitejewellery – seemed limitless, and whilstthe project took quite some time tocomplete, seeing the images publishedin his magnificent book made it allworth while.

Job done.

A ‘Bright Young Thing’, no doubtbehaving badly. Illustration byLewis Baumer in The GraphicChristmas Number, 1927 (image10493725)

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Illustration by Margaret Tarrantfor Magic Lamplighter, 1926(image 10506256)

TESS HINES takes usthrough her pictureresearch journey tothe archive andbeyond in a typicalworking week.

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Perversely, history is sometimesat its most fascinating when itis at its most mundane. One of

the most delightful aspects of MaryEvans Picture Library is its perennialability to surprise with the quirky andesoteric and nothing can surely bemore esoteric (or mundane) than asmall red book we found on theshelves recently. Slingsby's PatentTrucks (and Trucks of All Kinds) is acomprehensive catalogue listing themyriad trucks, trolleys, wagons andcarts available to the tradesman of1910 from the showrooms of H. C.Slingsby. Claiming to be 'The LargestTruck Establishment in the World' aswe are reminded on every page, this isa truck-enthusiast's dream. Whoknew of the f ine construction detailsseparating a Skeleton Platform Truckfrom a Single End Steel Truck? Orthat delivery boys could choose fromthree different types of carriertricycles? This prescriptive andhighly detailed little tome shows thatSlingsby's certainly catered for everytrucking eventuality.

And so inspired by this cornucopiaon wheels, we're setting you arather different challenge for thisissue's competition. On this pageyou'll f ind eight examples ofSlingsby's trucks. Simply match upthe pictures with the correctdescriptions and send your answersto me&[email protected] by 16thNovember 2011 for the chance to win£100 of Amazon vouchers. Thewinner will be the f irst chosenrandomly from correct entries afterthe closing date, and will be notif iedby 23rd November.

5. Sliding Cover Dust Truck6. Railway Refreshment Truck7. Baker’s Double Rack Truck8. Wallpaper Truck

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Issue 5 The Grand 2012 Anniversaries Quiz competition answers 1. Robert Falcon Scott; 2. Charles Dickens; 3. Sydney Harbour Bridge; 4. RMS Titanic;5. Spencer Perceval; 6. Jean-Jacques Rousseau; 7. Lewis Carroll; 8. Claude Debussy; 9. Abraham Lincoln; 10. BBC; 11. Howard Carter; 12. DavidWright. Congratulations to our winner, Joanna Hopkins at the Royal Society.

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Stop Press! New collections recently online include images from The Scout Association,London Fire Brigade, Roger Viollet fine art, Spaarnestad Photo and King’s College, London.Check the Collections page on www.maryevans.com for more.

We would be happy to receive your comments about ME & You. P lease emai l us at me&[email protected].

1. Useful Box Truck2. Champagne Trolley3. Chemist's Truck 4. Sewing Machine Truck