31
•Donald McGill - "Dear Lord...", original postcard design in watercolour, signed, inscribed verso
1/5
Description
•Donald McGill - "Dear Lord...", original postcard design in watercolour, signed, inscribed verso with super-imposed label, and resultant postcard, latter at fault
Auction Details
Shipping
T&Cs & Important Info
Ask seller a question
•Donald McGill - "Dear Lord...", original postcard design in watercolour, signed, inscribed verso with super-imposed label, and resultant postcard, latter at fault
Donald McGill Artwork, Jewellery, Gold and Silver
Sale Date(s)
Lots: 265
Venue Address
44-46 High Street
Worthing
West Sussex
BN11 1LL
United Kingdom
General delivery information available from the auctioneer
Campbells' shipping policy is at our discretion, we ship small non fragile items at a cost of £15 plus VAT packing fee and cost of postage. For fragile and larger items they recommend using Mailboxes.
Important Information
Donald McGill – an introduction and personal welcome
Today, we welcome back Donald McGill to Worthing, one of the many seaside settings from where millions of his postcards were sent, over many of the decades of the twentieth century.
An essential aspect of the seaside holiday was relishing the choice in selecting a postcard, recording a succinct memory on it, and sending it homeward. Donald McGill (1875-1962) gave us this wonderful choice.
Publishers D. Constance Ltd., who ceased trading at Littlehampton around thirty years ago, used an advertising slogan when describing The New McGill Comics – “The Humour is Universal” … and it remains so. This auction is a lovely opportunity to see but a small number of his ideas, beautifully drawn with radiant colours, combining with his characteristic sense of seaside fun.
Poor Donald did not enjoy 1954 when he was brought before magistrates at Lincoln Assizes, following a stay in custody and was convicted under the Obscene Publications Act, 1857. This is central to interest in these comic works of art. 21st century views show Donald’s humour was neither pointed nor offensive.
McGill can be credited with documenting much of the fast-moving twentieth century with innovations of the time; the advent of motoring and those strange traffic lights, cinema in colour, the world wars but this list too long in these lines. And the old favourites of hen-pecked husbands, the Scotman’s kilt, seductive aquaintances, seaside revelry… again the list too long.
Dear old Donald last made an appearance at auction in Worthing in 1990, a sale that proved a ground-breaker when his story was told by most of the national newspapers to a gripped readership. A sale that was estimated to total about £15,000 actually reached £54,000.
Credit for this record is due to Elfreda Buckland, author of The World of Donald McGill, first published in 1984 by Blandford Press and to her husband, Basil, Copyright Owner, at the time, of The New McGill Comics. Elfreda and Basil were enthusiasts who left a considerable legacy for us all.
Robert Scott was another enthusiast. He spent much of his life trying to obtain an example of each of Donald’s 12,500 postcard creations. He very nearly succeeded and left another fascinating legacy for us.
Sadly, Elfreda, Basil and Robert have passed on now. Lovely people and sadly missed.
However, current times are fertile. James Bissell-Thomas, current Copyright Owner, has established a Donald McGill Museum at Ryde, Isle of Wight and Bernard Crossley has brought more information to light and thoughts to our consciousness with his excellent recent book, ‘Donald McGill – Postcard Artist’, published 2014 by Greaves & Thomas and available at £30. The museum and the book are strongly recommended and each is an invitation and a valuable source to a new generation of Donald McGill enthusiasts. Furthermore, Chris Beetles is a long-standing McGill-admirer and The Chris Beetles Gallery, St. James, London is the venue for periodic selling exhibitions, always offering much informed guidance.
Donald McGill was once described as “The most popular, hence most eminent English painter of the century”.
The reader is invited to relish the choice !
Paul Campbell
STRICTLY NO VIEWING ON MONDAY, 7TH SEPTEMBER
ITEMS WITH * INCURS ARTIST RESALE RIGHTS
IMAGES OF JEWELLERY, GOLD AND SILVER GO ONLINE 7 DAYS BEFORE THE SALE
Lots purchased online with the-saleroom.com will attract an additional charge for this service in the sum of 3% of the hammer price plus VAT at the rate imposed
Buyer's Premium 17.5% plus VAT (21% inclusive)
Shipping: Campbells' shipping policy is at our discretion, we ship small non fragile items at a cost of £15 plus VAT packing fee and cost of postage. For fragile and larger items they recommend using Mailboxes.
Terms & Conditions
EVERY PERSON BIDDING AT THE SALE SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE FULLY AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS
1. The highest bidder subject to the reserve (if any) to be the purchaser and if any dispute arises between two or more bidders the lot shall be put up again and be resold; but the decision of the auctioneer shall, in all cases, be final. The Vendor reserves the right to bid by himself or his agent, and the Auctioneer reserves the right of withdrawing and altering any lot or lots and refusing to take bids from any person. All reserve prices shall be given to the auctioneers in writing at least one week before the day of the sale.
2. The purchaser to give their names and places of abode and, if required, shall pay down 25% of the purchase money at the fall of the hammer in part payment of the purchase money, in default of which the lots so purchased shall be put up again and resold. No cheques will be taken from persons unknown to the Auctioneers without a satisfactory reference or banker's guarantee. On no account will the transferring of any lot or lots be allowed. Cheques from third parties will NOT be accepted for payment of accounts.
3. Please insure payment and collection of all lots within 7 days of sale, alternatively items can be removed to secure storage at a charge of £3 per Lot per day. We accept most debit and credit cards but not charge cards (e.g. American Express) An administration charge of 2.5% will be added for credit cards. We ask that buyers new to us settle via direct bank transfer.
4. Premium: The Purchaser shall pay a premium of 17.5% +VAT 21% inclusive) on the hammer price. This sum being in addition to any commission charged separately to the Vendor at whatever rate. We reserve the right to retain beneficially any interest earned on Sale proceeds until the date of settlement.
5. The Auctioneers act as agents only. Each lot as set out in the catalogue, or as divided or joined with any lot or lots at the sale at the sole discretion of the Auctioneers, is sold with all faults and imperfections and neither the Vendor nor the Auctioneers are responsible for the condition or quality of any lot. All statements in this catalogue as to any of such matters are statements of opinion, and are not to be taken as, or as implying, statements of representations of fact. Purchasers are deemed to have satisfied themselves by inspecting or otherwise as to the physical description of any lot. Neither the Vendor nor the Auctioneers make or give, nor has any person in the employment of the Auctioneers any authority to make or give, any representation or warranty as to the foregoing and in any event neither the Vendor nor the Auctioneers are responsible for any such representation or warranty.
6. The Auctioneers reserve the right (at their discretion) to sell for not less than the reserve price any unsold lots that remain at the Sale Rooms after the sale has concluded.
7. Any lot withdrawn from the auction after publication of the catalogue will incur an administration charge of 10% +VAT based on the reserve price or the Auctioneers low estimate.
Online Bidding
Campbells Auctions offer an online bidding service via the-saleroom.com for bidders who cannot attend the sale.
In completing the bidder registration on www.the-saleroom.com and providing your credit card details and unless alternative arrangements are agreed with Campbells Auctions:
1. Authorise , if they so wish, to charge the credit card given in part or full payment, including all fees, for items successfully purchased in the auction via the-saleroom.com, and
2. confirm that you are authorised to provide these credit card details to Campbells Auctions through www.the-saleroom.com and agree that Campbells Auctions are entitled to ship the goods to the card holder name and card holder address provided in fulfilment of the sale.
Please note that any lots purchased via the-saleroom.com live auction service will be subject to an additional 3% commission charge + VAT at the rate imposed on the hammer price
LASTLY. Upon failure of complying with the above conditions the money so deposited shall be forfeited, the lot or lots not cleared within the specified time shall be resold without any further notice by public or private sale at the discretion of the Auctioneers, and the deficiency, if any, together with all charges attending the same, shall be made good by the defaulter or defaulters at this Sale, who shall have no claim to any surplus which may arise from such second sale whether or not a deposit shall have been paid.
Attendance and or bidding at the Sale shall be deemed to indicate full and irrevocable acceptance of the above conditions, and any other conditions printed in the catalogue, or displayed by notice in the Auction Galleries, or expressed verbally by the Auctioneers, during, before or after the time of Sale.
