ORIGINAL WATERCOLOUR ILLUSTRATIONS OF CHARACTERS FROM THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD

A suite of six original watercolour illustrations depicting characters from Charles Dickens' novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870), with illustrated watercolour title and contents pages. Each portrait signed by the artist in red ink. The images printed on watermarked laid paper with untrimmed rough-cut edges. Condition is very good with toning to the left hand side of the title page. The watercolour portraits themselves remain clean, fresh and bright.

An attractive suite of original watercolour illustrations depicting characters from Dickens' unfinished final novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood, by the noted artist Joseph Clayton "Kyd" Clarke (1857-1937). The set includes Mr. Dick Datchery, Durdles, Deputy, Mr. Tope, Rev. Crisparkle, and Mr. Grewgious. Kyd's first Dickens illustrations appeared in 1887 in Fleet Street Magazine. They achieved immediate popularity, with two published collections appearing shortly after and numerous sets of postcards based on his Dickens drawings also released. Following this initial success, Kyd earned his living creating sets of watercolour portraits such as these, which found many eager buyers. Indeed, as early as the 1890s, his popular, characterful sketches – which drew significantly on the work of the original Dickens illustrators Hablot Knight Browne ('Phiz') and Robert Seymour) – were being sought by major Dickens collectors such as Thomas Wilson and Frederick Cosens. Significant collections of Kyd's work are now held by numerous major institutions including The British Museum, the V&A, the Charles Dickens Museum, and the University of Texas.