John Leech 19th Century Watercolour "A Shocking Young Lady Indeed"
£1,175 per item
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Item details
Height
58.0 cm
Width
76.0 cm
Wear conditions
Good
Included
Wear conditions
Excellent
Shows little to no signs of wear and tear.
Good
May show slight traces of use in keeping with age. Most vintage and antique items fit into this condition.
Average
Likely to show signs of some light scratching and ageing but still remains in a fair condition.
Apparent Wear and Tear
Visible signs of previous use including scratches, chips or stains.
Please refer to condition report, images or make a seller enquiry for additional information.
Description
An original 19th Century watercolour painting by John Leech (1817-1864) of A Shocking Young Lady Indeed. Signed and titled.
An oil painting version sold at Sotheby's Auctions for a hammer price of £11500 in June 2001
John Leech was a famous Dickens and Punch Magazine illustrator. He made over 3,000 pictures for Punch alone (including political cartoons and scenes of everyday life) from its inception in 1841 to his death. See the Antique Collectors Club 1984 publication: " John Leech and the Victorian Scene" by Simon Houfe.
Wikipedia has this to say:
"John Leech (29 August 1817 – 29 October 1864) was a British caricaturist and illustrator. He was best known for his work for Punch, a humorous magazine for a broad middle-class audience, combining verbal and graphic political satire with light social comedy. Leech catered to contemporary prejudices, such as anti-Americanism and antisemitism and supported acceptable social reforms. Leech's critical yet humorous cartoons on the Crimean War helped shape public attitudes toward heroism, warfare, and Britons' role in the world.
Leech also enjoys fame as the first illustrator of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. He was furthermore a pioneer in comics, creating the recurring character Mr. Briggs and some sequential illustrated gags."
Additional sources state:
"In 1862 a very successful exhibition was held, of some of the most remarkable of his Punch drawings. These were enlarged by a mechanical process, and coloured in oils by the artist himself, with the assistance and under the direction of his friend John Everett Millais. Millais had earlier painted a portrait of a child reading Leech's comic book Mr Briggs' Sporting Tour.
He made over 3,000 pictures for Punch alone (including political cartoons and scenes of everyday life) from its inception in 1841 to his death. he was also particularly associated with the sporting novels of R. S. Surtees. The other books he illustrated included R. H. Barham's The Ingoldsby Legends (1840) and Charles Dickens's Christmas Books (1843). Dickens said of his pictures that they were ‘always the drawings of a gentleman’, and Leech more than any other set the gentlemanly tone for Punch."
The price includes UK delivery
Condition report:
In good antique condition, although it has sustained a a small crack to the glazing, in the top right corner.
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Estimated delivery time
Less than one week
Free collection available
Yes
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- Selling at Vinterior since 2017
- 89 sales
- Ships from Market Rasen, United Kingdom
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Last updated: 24th March 2025
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