The Sun Never Sets On The British Empire

I always enjoy it when I see an old map or print used in a television program or movie and so it was fun to see a case of this in one of my favorite shows, PBS’s Mr. Selfridge. This program is about American businessman Harry Gordon Selfridge and the department store he founded in London in 1909. The second season of the show has recently started and one of the themes of this season is the beginning of World War I in 1914.

As a promotion, and to show support for Great Britain, Selfridge decided to hold “Empire Week”, where displays throughout the store would evoke all corners of the British Empire. This included the window displays and in the last scene of episode two we see Selfridge looking at a window which has the legend “The Sun Never Sets On The British Empire.” In the window is a large map of the world which, even at the quick glance we have of it, apparently shows the British Empire.

The map shown is, in fact, probably the most famous map to show the British Empire, Walter Crane’s “Imperial Federation, map of the world showing the extent of the British Empire…” I think it is pretty cool, the show using an appropriate map as part of the Empire Week set. However, I do have to note that there are a couple of ‘not quite right’ aspects to this. First off, the map was issued, as the title above goes on to state, “in 1886,” not in 1914 when the show takes place. Secondly, the real map is about 2 x 2 1/2 feet in size, whereas the map in the show is considerably larger than that. Still, I love the use of such an interesting map in this great television series.

Crane’s map was issued as a supplement to a British newspaper, The Graphic, on July 24th, 1886. It is a wonderful example of the pictorial map genre, drawn by one of the most influential book illustrators of the late nineteenth century, Walter Crance, who is known especially for his children’s book illustrations. The map was based on “statistical information” provided by J.C.R. Colomb (to whom the map is sometimes attributed) and it shows the world with the different parts of the British Empire colored in red.

The map also shows Britannia literally sitting on top of the world, surrounded by her subjects. The map uses the Mercator projection, which was common for world maps of the period, and it is interesting that this projection does tend to exaggerate the size of places in the higher latitudes, such as the British Isles and Canada. It is also interesting to note that if this map had been issued in 1914, instead of 1886, more of the world, especially in Africa, would have been colored red.

Maps in movies

Over the weekend I watched the 2002 version of the movie Solaris, which though I am a Sci Fi fan was not my favorite example of that genre. Be that as it may, it did have a map in the background of one of the scenes. This is a scene with Chris Kelvin (George Clooney) and Rheya (Natascha McElhone) in the kitchen of Chris' apartment. If you look closely, in the background is a 19th century map (Johnson?) of Illinois.

The map is rather fuzzy and I am not sure why this map is there. Maybe the apartment is supposed to be in Chicago or perhaps it was a map that belongs to the actual owner of the apartment used for the scene (assuming it was not a kitchen built on a set). In any case, not terribly exciting, but still I do enjoy finding maps in movies even if they do not play much of a role.

Maps also appear in this year's movie Lincoln, but there they play a larger role. This was called to my attention by Susan Schulten in her map blog. As Susan points out, in this movie the maps used are displayed as an important part of the on-going drama.

As Susan describes in her excellent book, Mapping the Nation (discussed in an earlier post in my blog), the Coastal Survey map of slavery in the southern US was an important document in Lincoln's thinking about the Emancipation Proclamation. [You can also read about this in an on-line paper by Susan.] Beyond this, however, maps were very much a part of the political landscape in Washington during the Civil War and this is nicely illustrated by their use in this movie.

Thanks to Susan for blogging on these maps and if you are interested in maps, you should take a look. Also, I hope anyone else who sees maps (or old prints for that matter) in movies will let me know.

An Education: a stolen Speed map

I recently watched the 2009 movie, An Eduction, which takes place in and around London in 1961 and is about a 16 year old girl, Jenny Mellor, who meets a man, David Goldman, almost twice her age, with whom she has an affair that ends unhappily. I thought the movie was terrific, but I was definitely surprised to see that a seventeenth-century map by John Speed played a cameo role.

While David is an appealing fellow, charming everyone in Jenny's family, he soon turns out to be something of a rogue. This all seems fairly harmless, and indeed is part of David's charm, until the inevitable truth come out that David is married, has a child, and has had similar affairs with other young woman in the past. I was going along with this plot line quite happily until about mid-way through the film when one particular scene put me right off David and his roguishness.

In this scene, Jenny, David, his friend Danny, and Danny's girl friend Helen are driving around the British country-side when they see a house-for-sale sign. Unexpectedly, David pulls over and he and Danny march off to view the house, sternly insisting that Jenny not join them. This mysterious attitude is soon explained when David and Danny stroll out of the house with a framed map in their possession, quickly piling into the car and driving off.

It is clear that the map was stolen from the owner of the house. Jenny is upset by this episode, to which David replies:

"It's an old map. A Speed. Poor dear didn't even know what it was. It's a waste. It shouldn't spend its life on a wall in...wherever the hell we were. It should be with us. We know how to look after it properly. We liberated it."

Well, right there I was totally put off David, though Jenny decided this wasn't so bad, thus continuing on her fateful path towards her deeper disappointment in the end.

Now, my wife tells me I am a prude about movies. Unethical behavior (criminal or sexual) is the foundation of many good movies, but I must say that I do not like it when the movie implies this behavior is just fine or at least can be "winked" at. And to steal a map! That really got my goat. I knew that if David was stealing old maps, he was definitely not a person that Jenny should hitch her wagon to! Quite honestly, if it had all turned out well in the end, I think I would not have liked the movie half so much as I did (I think my wife is probably right....)

So what was it that they stole? A map by John Speed (1552-1629). Speed is probably best known for his Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine, first issued in 1611 and then several times again over the next few decades. Speed spent over 15 years assembling the information for this atlas, which contains maps of the entire British Isles, the individual nations, and separate maps for the counties. In 1627, Speed produced his A Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World, which included maps of the rest of the world.

In many ways, it was Speed's maps which spurred the development of map collecting in the 20th century. Speed's maps are very attractive, with many decorative features such as coats-of-arms, city plans, vignettes of battles, and images of costumed figures. Dealers discovered that if these maps were colored (and almost all were issued uncolored), they would be decorative enough to appeal to the general public and so these became the bread & butter stock for many British dealers. I think that the Speed maps gave dealers enough business to encourage the trade and also brought in enough new buyers that this really was the genesis of modern map-collecting.

Be that as it may, Speed maps became very popular in the 1950s and 60s, and so they remain to this day. His maps are quite expensive, ranging from the mid-hundreds to over $20,000 for his world map. So, it is not surprising that David, who obviously did not have a robust ethical sense, might want to steal one when he saw the opportunity.

One of the interesting things about An Education is that it is based on a real-life memoir of the same title by Lynn Barber, a newspaper writer and interviewer. It turns out the theft of a Speed map was an actual event in her relationship with her older lover.

One weekend I was moaning - I was always moaning - "I'm bored with Bateman Street", so we drove out towards Newmarket. At a place called Six Mile Bottom, I saw a thatched cottage with a For Sale sign outside. "Look, how pretty," I said. "'Why can't you buy nice places like that, instead of horrible old slums?" "Perhaps we can," said Simon, so we bounced up to the cottage and an old lady showed us round. I was bored within minutes, but Simon seemed unconscionably interested in the bedroom corridor which he kept revisiting. Then I saw him going out to the car, carrying something.

Eventually we left and went for lunch at a hotel in Newmarket. We were having a rather lugubrious meal when two men came into the dining room and one pointed the other towards our table. The man introduced himself as a detective. He said: "We've had a complaint from a Mrs so and so of Six Mile Bottom. She says a couple visited her cottage this morning and afterwards she noticed that a valuable antique map by Speed was missing from one of the bedrooms." "Oh, Simon!" I said. He shot me a look. "Perhaps we could have this conversation outside," he suggested. He went outside with the policeman. I waited a few minutes and then went to the Ladies, and out the back door and away down the street. I had just enough money for a train back to London. I hoped Simon would go to prison.

He didn't of course; he bounced round to Clifden Road a few days later and took me out to dinner. "How could you steal from an old lady?" "I didn't steal. She asked me to have the map valued." "No she didn't - I was with you." "All right, she didn't ask me. But I recognised that the map was by Speed and I thought if I got it valued for her, it would be a nice surprise."

I knew he was lying, but I let it go. I said: "If you ever really stole something, I would leave you." He said: "I know you would, Minn." But actually I knew he had stolen something and I didn't leave him, so we were both lying.

Unfortunately, I couldn't tell from the very quick view of the map in the movie what the map was of, and of course the original memoir doesn't say what Speed map it was. So what would this "valuable" map have been worth in 1961? My only sources for this are the early 1960s issues of Ken Nebenzahl's catalogues, which do list a number of Speed maps. Most of the country maps were listed for about $20 to $35 (today these are in the low four figures), while the better American regional maps were $125 to $150 (today these sell in the middle thousands). Based on this, I would think the world map might have been as much as $200-$250.

So what does this mean in today's dollars? It means that if they had a comparable price today, the country maps would be sold for between about $150 and $250, the regional American maps $900 and $1,100, and the world map maybe $1,500 to $1,800. Makes you wish you could go back and stock up on these maps! I would be interested to know what map it was that Lynn's lover stole, but in any case, this story--both in the movie and the memoir--is an interesting one and it does show the notoriety of the maps of John Speed even half a century ago.

A few degrees of separation

Sherlock Holmes and John James Audubon? How would these two be connected. Well, a member of the Yahoo Audubon prints group made an interesting post earlier this week explaining how...

The prints by John James Audubon, especially his large, double elephant folio bird prints, are among the most famous and popular of all antique prints. There is a fairly active Yahoo mailing list that is dedicated to Audubon and his prints. If you are interested in this subject, it is well worth joining on the Yahoo site. It is easy to join, and of course free.

In any case, Rama, a member of this group, made the following rather interesting post on Monday...

"...I was watching an old B&W Sherlock Holmes movie on the TV and in the credits I noticed that the actor who played the famous detective was a guy by the name 'Basil Rathbone.' His last name immediately caught my attention because Audubon visited a Richard Rathbone in Liverpool/England after leaving New Orleans, and even honored him by naming a warbler after him (Havell Plate #65 [image above]). After some digging, this is what I found - - Richard Rathbone's (1788-1860) elder brother William Rathbone V (1787-1868) was the great grand father of Basil Rathbone (1892-1967) who made a name for himself by playing Sherlock Homes in the 1940's era movies."

[Here is a link to the Rathbone family tree]

Any one else know of any connections between actors and antique prints?

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

I am reading a wonderful novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, written by Susanna Clarke. It is a tale of history and magic set at the beginning of the nineteenth century in England. The book has a delightful Dickensian descriptive turn combined with a fantasy element similar to that of the Harry Potter series. The reason I am writing about this book in this blog is that in a number of places Ms. Clarke uses prints and printsellers in a very appropriate manner.

For instance, in describing one of the main characters of the book she writes:

Nothing was more characteristic of Sir Walter Pole than Surprize. His eyes grew large, his eyebrows rose half an inch upon his face and he leant suddenly backwards and altogether he resembled nothing so much as a figure in the engravings of Mr. Rowlandson and Mr. Gillray.

This reference is the work of two important British caricaturists of the period, Thomas Rowlandson and James Gillray.

James Gillray (1757-1815) was a master caricaturist who began his career as an engraver. Gillray issued hundreds of social and political caricatures, including numerous biting images of George III and Napoleon. His artistic skill, wit and understanding of human nature make his images as delightful, pointed and scandalous today as they were when issued. His influence, both socially and politically, was substantial. The late eighteenth and early nineteenth century was a time of considerable political discord and mutual hate between the opposing parties (remind you of today at all?), and Gillray's caricatures fit into this environment perfectly.

Most of Gillray's prints were published and sold by Miss Hannah Humphrey from her print shop (illustrated in the Gillray image above). Their relationship went well beyond business, for they lived together for many years and supposedly were once on the way to the church to get married when Gillray stopped and said, "This is a foolish affair, methinks, Miss Humphrey. We live very comfortably together; we had better let well alone."

Gillray's contemporary, Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827), was also a brilliant caricaturist, but with a more gentle soul. He trained at the Royal Academy Schools and in Paris, but upon receiving a substantial legacy he plunged into the decadent life common of the wealthy British "gentleman." Meanwhile he turned himself into an expert caricaturist, lampooning the excesses of society in which he now endulged. His sharp eye, comic renderings, and delicate use of color soon established him as one of the important English artists of his period.

The prints of both of these artists were well known by the social elite in England during the period of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, so it is very appropriate that Ms. Clarke used their work to help describe Sir Pole.

Besides caricatures, portraits of famous individuals were very popular. Before the day of illustrated newspapers and photography, engraved portraits were the only way that the general public could learn what the royalty, politicians, and heroes of the era looked like. Ms. Clarke notes this in a passage about Lord Wellington,

How to describe Lord Wellington? How can such a thing be necessary or even possible? His face is everywhere one looks--a cheap print upon the wall of the coaching inn---a muich more elaborate one, embellished with flags and drums at the top of the Assembly-room staircase. Nowadays no young lady of average romantic feeling will reach the age of seventeen without purchasing at least one picture of him.

It was not only through caricatures and portraits, however, that prints had an impact on this period, for with the rise of an educated elite with both money and leisure time, prints were becoming very much part of British society. Prints not only lampooned social and political figures, but also were a means for those in society to become aware of current tastes in fashion and design.

This is nicely demonstrated in this book (Ms. Clarke obviously understood the importance of prints at the time), with a description of how Mr. Drawlight instructed Nr. Morrell, who was just moving into London society, on how to decorate his new house.

Mr. Drawlight ordered Mr. Norrell's carriage to be got ready and directed Davey to take him and Mr. Norrell straight to Mr. Ackermann's shop [Rudolph Ackermann's print shop] in the Strand. There Mr. Drawlight shewed Mr. Norrell a book which contained a picture [an aquatint] by Mr. Repton of an empty, old-fashioned parlour...But on the next page, ah! what changes had been wrought by the noble arts of joinery, paper-hanging and upholstery. Here was a picture of the same parlour, new-furnished and improved beyond all recognition!"

This quote introduces another very important figure in British prints of this period, Rudolph Ackermann, and soon I'll post a blog on this printseller and publisher.

Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" last night and was pleased to see quite a number of antique prints hanging in various rooms. The prints were all used, I think, appropriately for what would likely have appeared on walls in the periods depicted. There were some nice (though probably acidic) etching revival, landscape prints hanging on the wall of one of the guest rooms in New Orleans. Also a striking Piranesi print hanging in the Mr. Button's office. Finally, a colorful Gould hummingbird print actually had symbolic meaning in the movie. It appears in a hotel room scene and it visually references the story of the hummingbird that the tugboat captain (who just previously had died) had told in the bar in Moscow. A live hummingbird appears a couple of other times, but here the director used an antique print to carry on the theme. All the prints in the movie did look to be originals, which is not always the case....

Shadows Antique Print Mystery series

I am a big fan of mysteries and so was delighted when I found out that there was a series of mysteries that revolved around antique prints. This is the Shadows Antique Print Mystery series written by Lea Wait, an antique print dealer from Maine. Lea is a fourth generation antiques dealer who started her own business in 1977. Lea lives in Maine and does antique shows, as well a writing both her mystery series and historical novels for children.

Lea began her print series with Shadows at the Fair, which was a finalist for the prestigious Agatha Award for Best First Traditional Mystery in 2002. I have found the books, which feature an antique print dealer named Maggie Summer, to be well written, good mysteries, and a lot of fun. I especially enjoy the way that prints play a part in the stories and Lea’s accurate description of the world of antique dealers.

You can read more about Lea and her books on her web site, but she kindly agreed to be interviewed for this blog.

CWL: How did you come to start writing antique print mysteries?

LW: I've always supported myself by writing, but I for many years I wrote corporate nonfiction. I wrote my first Shadows Antique Print Mystery to prove to myself I could write a full-length novel. Then, in 1998, I took an early retirement offer, moved to Maine, and started writing (and dealing in antique prints!) full time. My first book to be published was an historical novel for young people, Stopping to Home. My editor at Simon & Schuster heard I'd also written a mystery, and she told a friend at Scribner, and my mysteries found a home there.

CWL: Where did the name the series (and of Maggie’s antique print business) come from?

LW: As it says in Shadows at the Fair, "[Maggie] named the business Shadows because that's what old prints were -- outlines of worlds to which the doors have closed; shadows of pasts that have vanished except for memories and remembrances."

CWL: You introduce each chapter with a description of an antique print. How does this tie into your stories?

LW: Each description is a clue ... if there is a print of a snake at the beginning of a chapter, watch out! The books also have themes which are reflected in the prints. For example, Shadows on the Coast of Maine features Winslow Homer wood engravings because of the Winslow Homer -- Maine connection, even though the engravings were done before Homer actually moved to Prout's Neck. And Shadows at the Spring Show is about a murder connected with an antique show benefiting an adoption agency, so most of the featured prints are by illustrators like Jessie Willcox Smith, who specialized in drawing or painting children.


CWL: Maggie Summer must to some extent be based on yourself. How are you and Maggie the same and how different?

LW: Maggie isn't really me -- she's young, and much braver! But she does have a "day job," as I did for many years. She's a widow; I was divorced very young. We both love Dry Sac Sherry. And one other major theme in the books ... Maggie is 38, and is feeling her biological clock ticking, so is considering adopting a child. I didn't wait until I was 38, but I adopted four children (ages 4-10) as a single parent when I was in my early 30s. And Maggie lives in Somerset County, New Jersey -- where I used to live. So -- we do have a lot in common. But I haven't solved even one murder, so there are a lot of differences, too! Maybe she's who I'd have liked to have been.

CWL: Are other characters in your stories based on real people?

LW: No; none of the other characters are based on specific people! In fact, I go out of my way to avoid doing that, although if you've ever been at an antique show or known many dealers, you've probably met some of the characters in my book! I do have a granddaughter who has Down Syndrome, and a recurring character in my book also has Downs. Maggie's best friend has post-polio syndrome, and I've known several people who've had that. So there are pieces of people I know in the books. But no one is there unchanged.


CWL: What is it like selling prints at antique shows?

LW: Despite the work it takes to set up antique shows, I do love doing them! I love talking with other dealers, and I love having the opportunity to educate customers, especially younger people, about antique prints. But there are some people .. one man at a major show last year spent perhaps half an hour looking through my Winslow Homer engravings. Finally he turned to me. "This guy could really draw," he said. "Did he do anything about World War II?" Some questions are best answered with a simple, "No."


CWL; What are your favorite print(s).

LW: I have a soft spot for Winslow Homer wood engravings; the ones printed in Harper's Weekly and Every Saturday and other newspapers from 1858-1874. I try to keep as many of them as I can in my inventory, although they're becoming harder to find. I have about 160 of them now. Although they've gone up in value in the past twenty years they are still affordable, and I think, as the early work of one of America's greatest artists, they will continue to be an excellent investment.

CWL Do you plan to continue with the Maggie Summer books?

LW: There are four books in the Shadows Antique Print Mystery Series and after the 4th book my editor retired, and Scribner discontinued most of the mystery series' she had contracted for, including mine. My agent has tried to find another publisher to pick up the series, but so far he hasn't been successful. So -- I've written another Maggie book, but I don't know if it will ever be published. I hope so! In the meantime, I'm continuing to sell antique prints.

I hope Lea finds a publisher and encourage fans of antique prints and mysteries to find one of the Shadows books and give it a read. You’ll enjoy it!

Prints On Screen: Little Dorrit

A large percentage of antique prints were issued in order to be displayed in the home or work place. As paintings were expensive, only owned by the relatively wealthy, up through the nineteenth century prints have been one of the most common forms of wall decoration. Even to the present day, antique prints have remained a popular means of decorating the home, office, bar, restaurant or club. Thus one would expect to see a lot of prints on screen, either in movies or television programs, especially period pieces. However, it seems that most scene designers do not think of prints when put together their sets. Once in a while, though, one can spot some original antique prints on the screen. It strikes me that this is a topic worthy of an occasional blog...

Last night I watched Little Dorrit, a wonderful British production of this Dickens work. The British tend to be more aware of antique prints than Americans, so it is not surprising that prints have appeared prominently in a few scenes in this BBC produced story set in mid-nineteenth century London. At that time, prints would have been a common form of wall decoration for the classes of people who appear in this program, and the producers have shown this nicely.

A print that was unrecognizable appeared in the front window of a bookstore that appeared briefly, but then two engravings were shown prominently in the rooms of John Chivery, the turnkey's son, when he invites Amy in to warm her hands. I didn't recognize these prints, but maybe some else did? Then a group of colored aquatints were shown in the Meagles drawing room during a soiree scene. I did not recognize these scenes, but they appeared to be a from a plate volume from a "foreign" land. Did anyone recognize these?

As I spot other prints on screen I'll post that information, but would love to hear from any other print spotters.