Master Collection

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cheery Families - Master Butt the Brewers Son. 1890s

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

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

Will He Come Back?, c. 1918 (oil on canvas)
2831122 Will He Come Back?, c.1918 (oil on canvas) by Morley, Robert (1857-1941); 103.5x85 cm; Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, UK; eBristol Museums, Galleries & Archives; Purchased, 1923; English

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

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

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

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

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

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

Set of thirteen Apostles Spoons (1626) (engraving)
6006903 Set of thirteen Apostles Spoons (1626) (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Set of thirteen Apostles Spoons (1626)

Altarpiece of Saint Quiteria, 1332, by Joan Loert. Spain
Joan Loert, Master of Privileges. 13th-14th centuries. Altarpiece of Saint Quiteria, 1332. From the Hospital of Saint Anthony, Palma of Majorca. Museum of Majorca. Spain

Complaint by Workhouse Master at Chipping Norton, Oxfordshir
A formal complaint by Richard Brown, master of the Chipping Norton workhouse, against casual ward inmate Charles King who had refused to perform the work demanded of him. Date: 1904

The Swiss National Yodeling Champion - Franz Lotscher
The Swiss National Yodeling (also yodelling or jodeling) Champion - Master Yodeler Franz Lotscher - pictured with his array of trophies at the Hotel Sempacherhof at Sempach, Lucerne, Switzerland

Signwriters at work
A wonderful photograph by Heinz Zinram showing a master signwriter at work, with his younger collegue (or apprentice) behind. A study in concentration, accuracy and exactitude in the craftsmans art

Preparing for Sabbat
The master of the house investigates noises in his wine-cellar, finds his domestic staff taking the evening off on their broomsticks

Guillemette and the Wolf
A wolf carries young Guillemette to meet its master, Satan : in the forest, it becomes an old hag, who presents the girl to the Devil, assuring him she will serve him all her life

Vincent Van Gogh's River Bank In Springtime (1887)
Vincent Van Gogh

Place de la Concorde
Piet Mondrian

Composition with Large Blue Plane, Red, Black, Yellow, and Gray 1921
Piet Mondrian

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

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

Saint Barbara, c. 1470, by Master of the Statues of Koudewat
Master of the Statues of Koudewater (active c. 1460-1480). Statue of Saint Barbara, c. 1470. Rijksmuseum. Amsterdam. Holland

Nautical Christmas Cake
Captain Hover, the Master of the Goodwin Lightship, with a Christmas cake modelled in the shape of the lightship, the customary gift of Mr. E.A. Anderson of Broadstairs. Date: 1930s

A horrible business - Butchers shop, 1851
Humourous scene from a butchers shop, 1851. Master Butcher: " Did you take old Major Dumbledores ribs to No. 12?" Boy: " Yes

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

Malik-I-Maidan at the Bijapur Fort, Karnataka, India
The Malik-I-Maidan at the Bijapur Fort, Karnataka, India. The Malik-i-Maidan (Master of the Battlefield), also called Burj-E-Sherz

Counting in Their Heads, 1895. Oil on canvas. Nikolai Petrovich Bogdanov-Belsky (1868-1945) Russian painter. Boys in a village school in a mental arithmetic lesson

The Trojan War: The Destruction of Troy. ca. 1470. Detail. Hecuba entrusts her daughter Polyxena to Antenor during the assault of the Achaeans

JEAN PARISOT DE LA VALETTE (1494-1568). French born Grand Master of the Knights of Malta. Copper engraving, French, early 18th century

The Old Curiosity Shop, schoolroom
The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens, first published in the weekly serial Master Humphreys Clock from 1840 to 1841 and then as its own book in 1841. The puzzled dunce

Hounds of the Essex Otter Hunt
The hounds of the Essex Otter Hunt, with their Master, at the side of a country road

Passengers on the deck of an Emigrant Ship, 1849
Engraving showing emigrants on the deck of their ship, at sea, 1849. A group of children are being taught their lessons by a school master whilst a small crowd gathers around the ships galley

Teutonic Knights
A Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights and a Knight of the Order of the Sword

Journey to the West
The master is rowed away by a disguised demon. From the legend of the Journey to the West

Baa Baa Black Sheep / 1884
Baa baa black sheep, have you any wool? Yes Sir, Yes Sir - three bags full. One for the master and one for the dame, and one for the little boy who lives down the lane

The Complete Angler, by Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton (chromolitho)
1062840 The Complete Angler, by Izaak Walton and Charles Cotton (chromolitho) by Stothard, Thomas (1755-1834) (after); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Complete Angler)

Monkeys gathering leaves from tea bushes high on a mountain and delivering them to their master. Handcoloured copperplate engraving by Andrea Freschi after Antoine Cardon

Noah Claypole from Oliver Twist (engraving)
725647 Noah Claypole from Oliver Twist (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Noah Claypole from Oliver Twist. Dickens character)

Washington as a Master Mason, pub. 1870 (colour lithoraph)
2652868 Washington as a Master Mason, pub. 1870 (colour lithoraph) by American School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

West Surrey Staghounds Point-to-point races at Slyfield - the All Comers Maiden Steeplechase, won by Mr Oliver Dixon on Master Royston

Chemistry Laboratory at Eton College, Berkshire
Boys being taught in the Chemistry Laboratory at Eton College, Berkshire. Date: circa 1905

William Eldred, Gunner
WILLIAM ELDRED Master gunner of Dover Castle, Kent. Date: CIRCA 1646

Newfoundland with Stick
This Newfoundland dog loves water, like all the breed, and has just dived into the river to retrieve its masters stick. Date: circa 1870

Masonic Charity
The duc de Chartres, Grand Master, holds a Masonic banquet for charity inside a Benedictine monastery Date: 1776

P C Haviland, Bellevue Scout Troop, Johannesburg
P C Haviland, Scoutmaster, Bellevue Scout Troop, Johannesburg, South Africa

Rev. Edward Hale, Vanity Fair, Spy
Reverend EDWARD HALE (1828- ) Master at Eton College, England, here dressed in gown and mortar board. Caption: Badger Date: 1828-

Richard Sibbes
RICHARD SIBBES puritan churchman, master of St Catherines Hall, Cambridge, and preacher at Grays Inn. Date: 1577 - 1635

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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.