A KNOW'LKOGH OF X.WAI. PICTURES AND PRINTS. 



i;y A. M. i;kuai)Li:v. 



(Author of " Xapolcon-iiiCiirictitiirc." vtc.) 



Thkki-: is no more popular or interesting form of 

 i I'Uecting than that which inchules witliin its sphere 



of operations the rarioru of the Xav\'. ran 

 tliey do from medals 

 and anto,L;rapli letters 

 to pictures, engraved 

 prints. portraits and 

 caricatures, valentines, 

 songs and jest books. 

 That an impetus will he 

 given to the collection of 

 naval views of every 

 description by the 

 op[)ortune appearance 

 of Mr. Harry Parker's 

 " Naval Battles "' there 

 can be little doubt. 

 Ever since the end of 

 the eighteenth century 

 three generations of the 



same family have distinguished themselves in the 

 foremost rank of London print-dealers, and now 

 the present head of the firm has brought all his 

 e.xpert knowledge and personal e.\perience to bear 

 on the production of a very delightful volume 

 which is not only an exhaustive descriptive cata- 

 logue of the superb series of engravings formed 

 by Commander Sir Leopold Cust, but affords the 

 humblest collector a useful and intelligible vadc 

 ineciiii). To endeavour to collect naval prints 

 without the aid of such a guide as Mr. Parker 

 has now provided would be sheer folly. If 

 anything could enhance the good work done by Mr. 

 Parker, it would be the admirable introduction 

 supplied by Commander C. N. Robinson, the 

 author of "The British Fleet," whose books may be 

 found on almost every ship of the British, .American 

 and German navies. It is assuredh' in the eternal 

 fitness of things that the namesake and godson of 



one of the best known and most tlaring of tlie 

 .\dmirals of the Crimean War times should, at the 

 commencement of the twentieth century, have made 

 many important contributions alike to the history 

 and the iconogra[)hv of the Service he loves so 

 well. 



Commander Robinson points out that the picking 

 u[) of naval prints need not of necessity be a 

 monoi)oly of the millionaire. The intelligent collec- 

 tor will, at the onset, limit his endeavours to one 

 [iarticular channel, and if he does this he will be 

 astonished at the success he achieves in all sorts of 

 out-of-the-way and unexpected places. The writer 

 has seen a large album filled with naval "\'alentines,'" 

 man\' of which throw a curious light on the inner 

 life of Jack Tar during the great wars of the 

 lightecnth centur\-. The same may be said of 

 "chaunties" (a practicalh' inexhaustible subject, for 

 Jack has always lo\cd music almost as much as 

 tobacco or grog) and caricatures. One cannot help 

 holding that in the near future Commander Robinson 

 will deal at length with 

 ■ ; the last-named subject, 

 which has for some 

 \cars engrossed his 

 ; attention. A whole 



cliapter might be 

 devoted to the British 

 caricatures of Nelson, 

 many of which are very 

 interesting as sidelights 

 of naval history. 

 Napoleon, for some 

 reason or another, ne\er 

 incited his official cari- 

 caturists to lampoon 

 Nelson as they did 

 Pitt. The only French 

 cariraturi' of Nelson the writer hn'= cx-er mi't with 



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