Master Collection

The Visitors Who Told the Master Off by H. M. Bateman
Cartoon by the master of social satire, H. M. Bateman, showing a somewhat arrogant visitor to a hunt lecture the Master of Foxhounds much to the shock of other members. Date: 1936

Fox hunting - riders and their dogs
Fox hunters in traditional red jackets ride out on a hunt, accompanied by their hounds. Painting by Malcolm Greensmith

Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery - British Army Officer
Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (" Monty" ) KG, GCB, DSO, PC (1887-1976) - British Army Officer, famed for his successes and tactical ability in WW2. Date: circa 1944

Setting off on a Fox Hunt - leaving the Chateau
A group of Upper Class French Gentlemen and lady set off on a Fox Hunt - leaving the Chateau along with attendant handlers, Master of the hounds, horn bearers

The Melton Breakfast by Sir Francis Grant
A rare mezzotint of High Leicestershire Lights of the past enjoying breakfast before a hunt. From left to right are Massey Stanley, the Earl of Wilton, Count Matuszevic, Lord Gardner

Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890)
Photograph of Sir Richard Francis Burton, the English explorer, linguist and diplomat. A master of up to 30 languages, Burton made a pilgrimage to Mecca disguised as a Pathan in 1853

Greyfriars Bobby lying near the grave of his master, John Gray

Illustrations of a Sealyham terrier puppy by Cecil Aldin
Illustrations of a Sealyham terrier called Bunch, by Cecil Aldin. Seen here running away from his owners (left) and winding his lead round his masters legs (right). Date: 1932

Normandy Invasion 1944
A depiction by C.E.Turner of a scene during the early morning of 6th June 1944 as British forces make an amphibious landing on one of the Normandy beaches during D-Day

Bathing machine owner and swimming master, Essex
Pictured in front of his bathing machines on the beach at Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, is Charlie Bates with some of his family and the horse which hauled the machines down to the waters edge and back

Officers of Arms of the Heralds College, 1952
Participants in the Coronation Ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II. The Officers of Arms of the Heralds College (l to r): Bluemantle, J A Frere; Windsor Herald, R P Graham-Vivian; Richmond Herald

Cheery Families - Master Butt the Brewers Son. 1890s

Thomas Colleton Garth, Vanity Fair, Spy
THOMAS COLLETON GARTH (1822-1907) Master of the Garth foxhounds for over 50 years. In riding clothes, wearing boots and spurs. Caption: A Very Old Master Date: 1822-1907

Clynderwen Railway Station, Pembrokeshire, South Wales
View of Clynderwen (or Clunderwen) Railway Station in Pembrokeshire, South Wales, on the Great Western Railway. Seven men and a boy stand in a line on the platform

Mieczyslaw Pianowski, Polish ballet dancer
Mieczyslaw Pianowski (c1891-1967), Polish ballet dancer, ballet master and choreographer. circa 1920s

Cinderella ballet, Ugly Sisters trying to dance
The Ugly Sisters try to follow their dancing master while Cinderella stands disconsolately by the fire. A scene from a ballet version of Cinderella, based on French and Spanish fairytales

Moods of Mount Fuji - 4
A stylised painting by Malcolm Greensmith in the style of the Master Japanese woodcut artists of the late 18th and 19th centuries

Sir Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, OM, GCVO (1857-1934), English composer. He composed oratorios, chamber music, symphonies, instrumental concertos, and songs

The Bathos (Hogarth)
Tailpiece, or the Bathos : in his final print, Hogarth reiterates his opinions about the vogue for dark Old Master paintings in a complex allegorical image

Coastguards and civilians of Leysdown, Isle of Sheppey
Commemorative postcard, Heroes All! Five brave coastguards and two civilians of Leysdown, Isle of Sheppey, Kent, who rescued 20 members of the 2nd Walworth Boy Scouts Troop who got into difficulties

George Ernest Studdy, Bonzo with loudspeaker
George Ernest Studdy, Bonzo listening to a loudspeaker -- his masters voice, no doubt. The pencil marks/lines show potential cropping of the image for onward design usage

Cub Scout on skis, Snowy Mountains, Australia
A group of Cub Scouts of the 1st Kosciusco Troop, on skis in the Snowy Mountains of Australia. Scoutmaster Bernie Jarratt is demonstrating a kick turn. Date: 1960s

Silhouettes of hunting field scenes

Freemasons at the Royal Albert Hall
The installation of his Royal Highness Albert Edward, Prince of Wales as Grand Master of the freemasons of England at the Royal Albert Hall, London

Emanuel Lasker
EMANUEL LASKER German mathematician, philosopher & chess master, defeated Steinitz in 1894 and retained title till defeated by Capablanca in 1921

Badger hunters outside Plough Inn, Pyecombe, Sussex

Happy Families / Mst Bones
Master Bones the Butchers Son, from " Happy Families" devised in Britain by Mr Jacques in 1861

Dickens / Pickwick Papers
Sam Weller - Mr Pickwicks servant who councils his master with Cockney wisdom

Parma was a four-masted steel-hulled barque which was built in 1902 as Arrow for the Anglo-American Oil Co Ltd, London. In 1912 she was sold to F. Laeisz, Hamburg, Germany

Youth Brandishing a Cutlass, Maso Finiguerra (1426-1464)
Iron gall ink on laid paper, Italian School, 15th century. Tommaso Finiguerra was born in Florence, Italy, into a family of goldsmiths

Pantocrator in the apse of the church of Sant Climent de Taüll in the Vall de Boi (Boi Valley)
Pantocrator in the apse of the church of Sant Climent de Taull in the Vall de Boi (Boi Valley), Alta Ribagorca

Musicians, 1530s-1540s. Old Master
Musicians, 1530s-1540s. Master of the Female Half-Lengths (First half of 16th cen.). Found in the collection of the State Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Sir Andrew Judde, Lord Mayor of London
Sir Andrew Judd (or Judde, c.1492-1558), merchant, six times Master of the Skinners Company, Mayor of Calais and Lord Mayor of London. He founded a school in Tonbridge, Kent. Date: circa 1600

William Whitaker - 3
WILLIAM WHITAKER English Calvinist and controversialist, master of St Johns college, Cambridge. Date: 1548 - 1595

The Comical Hotch-Potch, or the Alpahbet Turn d Posture-Master. Print by Carington Bowles, English, 1782
ALPHABET, 1782. The Comical Hotch-Potch, or the Alpahbet Turn d Posture-Master. Print by Carington Bowles, English, 1782

Jose Raul Capablanca
JOSE RAUL CAPABLANCA Cuban chess master, defeated Lasker in 1921 but was himself defeated by Alekhine in 1927; author of books on chess

Schoolboys sitting on The Table Rock, Glyder Fach, Snowdon, North Wales Date: circa 1930s

Polychromed vase. Tomb of Kha. 1400 BC. Egypt
Egypt. Polychromed vase sealed with fabric. From the tomb of royal architect Kha (Deir el-Medina). 1400 BC. 18th dynasty. New Kingdom. Egyptian Museum. Turin. Italy

Banquet des Chevaliers de l Ordre du Saint-Esprit donne au chateau de Fontainebleau le 14 mai 1633, French School. The Knights of the Order of the Holy Spirit sit at two long tables

Europe, Italy, Rome. Michelangelos masterpiece sculpture, Pieta (1499). St. Peters Basilica (aka Basilica di San Pietro), Vatican City

Puss in Boots Master dressed in fine clothes
Puss in Boots Master dresses in fine clothes given to him by the King after his drowning incident. Illustration to a fairytale by Charles Perrault, first published 1697

Puss in Boots presents a rabbit from his Master to the King
Puss in Boots presents a gift of a rabbit from his Master to the King. Illustration to a fairytale by Charles Perrault, first published 1697

Union Workhouse, Thame, Oxfordshire
A view of the Thame Union workhouse from one of its internal yards with the workhouse chapel in the background. Posed for the photographer are what appear to be the workhouse master (standing)

Union workhouse, Market Harborough, Leicestershire
The Market Harborough Union workhouse. The inscription on the pediment reads HARBOROUGH UNION WORKHOUSE 1836. At the doorway stands a man and a woman, presumably the master and matron

British Royal Family at Elsick House in 1931
At Elsick House, Scotland in 1931: (l to r in front) Lady Maud Carnegie (younger sister of the Duchess of Fife and a granddaughter of King Edward VII), Queen Mary holding Mauds son James

Survivors of the Battle of Balaklava, 1875
Series of engraved portraits showing the surviving British participants of the Charge of the Light Brigade of the Battle of Balaclave, Crimean War, pictured in 1875

Ewbank Master Washer
A housewife uses her Ewbank Master Clothes Washer for washing, wringing and ironing

Sale of paintings from the Cook Collection, Sothebys 1958
Scene at Sothebys auctioneers during the sale of paintings from the collection of Sir Francis Cook. The lot seen under the hammer is The Madonna and Child by Andrea Brescianino which fetched 200

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"Mastering the Art of Tradition and Adventure" In a scene reminiscent of a bygone era, riders and their loyal dogs gather for an exhilarating fox hunt. Guided by the spirit of mastery, they embody the essence of determination and skill. Just as Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery led his troops with unwavering command, these equestrians embark on their quest with equal resolve. Leaving behind the grandeur of a chateau, they set off into the vast countryside, echoing the exploratory spirit of Sir Richard Francis Burton. Like Greyfriars Bobby faithfully guarding his master's grave, these riders honor tradition while forging new paths. Among them is Thomas Colleton Garth from Vanity Fair fame - a true embodiment of style and sophistication. And not far away stands an owner of bathing machines and swimming master in Essex; teaching others to conquer their fears through water. As if heralding their arrival, officers from Heralds College stand tall in all their regal splendor. Their presence adds an air of nobility to this gathering where every participant seeks to become a master in their own right. Illustrations by Cecil Aldin capture the playful nature of Sealyham terrier puppies who are eager apprentices on this journey towards mastery. Even amidst whimsical moments like Ugly Sisters attempting ballet steps from Cinderella's tale or at Clynderwen Railway Station in Pembrokeshire, South Wales – where trains symbolize progress – there is always room for growth. And finally, as we reflect upon Hogarth's The Bathos painting that satirizes pretentiousness and false mastery; we realize that true mastery lies not only in expertise but also humility. In this captivating tableau filled with history and ambition, these individuals strive to become masters - mastering skills both old and new - forever chasing excellence on life's ever-unfolding canvas.