A complete set of the four illustrations from the book in the final state before engraving, together with other related material. The bowman in the second illustration caused Burne-Jones and Catterson-Smith some problems. The complete finished drawing (see item 2 above) comprises two pieces laid down to card. The original piece (with a larger bowman) is preserved as item 8. A letter from Morris to Catterson-Smith, dated 1 January 1896, reads "I have just seen the Bart [Burne-Jones] and he allows the bowman is out of scale, and thinks the best way would be for you to redraw him smaller without altering the others" (see ed. Kelvin, The Collected Letters of William Morris, IV, Princeton, NJ, 1996, p. 347). 1) frontispiece illustration ("Help is to hand in the Wood Perilous"), ink and gouache, laid down to card, the mount with details of feet, a face and a horse's stirrup in pencil INITIALLED BY BURNE-JONES presumably to indicate the artwork has been passed for engraving, the reverse has a mounted photograph of the original Burne-Jones design for 'The Romaunt of the Rose' (see The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, p. [253]); 2) page [116] illustration ("The Chamber of Love in the Wilderness"), ink and gouache, laid down to card, the mount with details of a foot, a hand clutching a bow and an arm in pencil INITIALLED BY BURNE-JONES presumably to indicate the artwork has been passed for engraving, the reverse with a mounted photograph of the original Burne-Jones design for 'The Romaunt of the Rose' (see The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, p. 261); 3-4) page [116] illustration ("The Chamber of Love in the Wilderness"), photograph of the original Burne-Jones design, two pieces with one piece showing pencil grid lines for the reduction in size of the bowman; 5-7) page [116] illustration ("The Chamber of Love in the Wilderness"), three tracings in pencil or ink of the bowman showing three different reductions in size; 8) page [116] illustration ("The Chamber of Love in the Wilderness"), ink and gouache of bowman (original size), laid down to card; 9) page [286] illustration ("Friends in Need meet in the Wildwood"), photograph of the original Burne-Jones design, some spotting; 10) page [286] illustration ("Friends in Need meet in the Wildwood"), ink and gouache, laid down to card, the mount with details of feet, a face, etc. in pencil INITIALLED BY BURNE-JONES presumably to indicate the artwork has been passed for engraving, the reverse with a mounted photograph of the original Burne-Jones design for Boethius (see The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, p. [323]); 11) page [362] ("The Last Time of the Long Champion"), ink and gouache, laid down to card, INITIALLED BY BURNE-JONES presumably to indicate the artwork has been passed for engraving, framed and glazed; each main illustration approx. 114 by 129 mm, some browning and spotting (11)
Catterson-Smith had been employed to assist with the preparation of Edward Burne-Jones’s celebrated illustrations for books produced by the Kelmscott Press, William Morris’s private publishing house established with the aim of reviving the traditional technique of hand-printing. Most notably, Catterson-Smith worked on preparations for The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, (later described by W.B. Yeats as “the most beautiful of all printed books”). Then a relatively unknown artist, he worked from photographs of Burne-Jones’s delicate illustrations, tracing over and embellishing them, in order to make them conform to the thick, medieval wood-cut style designs Morris envisaged for his books. However, Morris never publically acknowledged Catterson-Smith’s role, and a ‘controversy’ began in 1898, when an anonymous contributor to the London Daily Chronicle suggested that Morris had been unfair and dishonest. Another commentator even went so far as to claim that, in his old age, Burne-Jones’s hands were too unsteady to properly execute the drawings, and that Catterson-Smith in fact redrawn them all. Years later, a much agitated May Morris sought reassurance that Burne-Jones was the proper artist to credit and that her father had not been unjust, but she received only half-assurances. An examination of this archive invites us to reassess our understanding of the Pre-Raphaelite’s working practices as they embraced photography and new techniques, apparently in contravention of their purist doctrines. Catterson-Smith went on to become the Headmaster of the Birmingham School of Art during the peak of its reputation as one of the world's leading Arts & Crafts centres. Aside from this collection, he has left behind a unique legacy in London: when working as an apprentice in a sculptor’s studio he was chosen as the model for the hands of Prince Albert, and they can still be found on the famous memorial in Kensington Gardens today rendered in gilt bronze.
A: Help is to Hand in the Wood Perilous. Illustration for The Well at the World's End by William Morris pub 1896. An over worked Platinotype made by Emery Walker, in which Catterson-Smith added black ink and chinese white to convert Burne-Jones pencil drawing into an image suitable to be cut for a woodblock print. Surrounding the main image are annotations by Catterson-Smith and drawings indicative of required corrections by Burne Jones. The initials of Burne Jones certifying his final approval and in the upper left corner an annotation by Sir Sidney Cockerell " Help is at hand in the wood perilous Book 2" B: Katherine and Ursula at the Well. Illustration for The Well at the World's End by William Morris pub 1896. Platinotupye made by Emery Walker C: The Last Time of the Long Champion Illustration for The Well at the World's End by William Morris pub 1896. An over worked Platinotype made by Emery Walker, in which Catterson-Smith added black ink and chinese white to convert Burne-Jones pencil drawing into an image suitable to be cut for a woodblock print. Surrounding the main image are annotations by Catterson-Smith and drawings indicative of required corrections by Burne Jones. The initials of Burne Jones certifying his final approval and in the upper left corner an annotation by Sir Sidney Cockerell "The Last Time of the Long Champion Book IV" D: The Chamber of Love in the Wilderness. Illustration for The Well at the World's End by William Morris pub 1896. An over worked Platinotype made by Emery Walker, in which Catterson-Smith added black ink and chinese white to convert Burne-Jones pencil drawing into an image suitable to be cut for a woodblock print. Surrounding the main image are annotations by Catterson-Smith and drawings indicative of required corrections by Burne Jones. The initials of Burne Jones certifying his final approval and in the upper left corner an annotation by Sir Sidney Cockerell "he Chamber of Love in the Wilderness Book I" The importance of the Sun on Ralph's breastplate is emphasised by the complete re-drawing of it on the edge along with a detail of its rays. E: Friends in Need Meet in the Wild wood. Illustration for The Well at the World's End by William Morris pub 1896. An over worked Platinotype made by Emery Walker, in which Catterson-Smith added black ink and chinese white to convert Burne-Jones pencil drawing into an image suitable to be cut for a woodblock print. Surrounding the main image are annotations by Catterson-Smith and drawings indicative of required corrections by Burne Jones. The initials of Burne Jones certifying his final approval. F: Photograph of Lot 79 (Sotherby's Sale 15 DECEMBER 2015) of A, C, D, E plus drawings of details from these by Catterson Smith on tracing paper.