Lot 362

20th C. British Writers & Artists Book of 50+ Signatures Incl. Barrie, Kipling, Milne & More! Ex. Karsh Estate

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20th C. British Writers & Artists Book of 50+ Signatures Incl. Barrie, Kipling, Milne & More! Ex. Karsh Estate

Estimate: $600 - $800

Current Bid: $220

(3 Bids)

June 17, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
Wilton, CT, US

Description:

20th C. Literary Notables
London, England, ca. 1906
20th C. British Writers & Artists Book of 50+ Signatures Incl. Barrie, Kipling, Milne & More! Ex. Karsh Estate
Album

An early 20th century autograph birthday album featuring the signatures of 54 writers and artists (mainly British), gifted to famed photographer Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002) and retained in his personal collection. London: Henry Frowde, 1906. Compiled by Constance A. Meredyth. Unpaginated. Bearing an official estate label of provenance on the inside front pastedown, easily removable if desired. Highlighted within are the autographs of John Singer Sargent, A. A. Milne, J. M. Barrie, Rudyard Kipling, and Hugh Walpole. Each signatory has signed on the page corresponding to their respective birthday, with some adding their birth year. For a full list of identified names, please see below. Together with a holiday card addressed to Yousuf and Estrellita Karsh in which they are gifted the offered book. Exhibits moderate shelf wear, surface rubbing, and bumped corners throughout, with areas of spine cracking where binding has loosened. Lightly toned interior, not affecting signatures. Overall, good condition.

Karsh Estate Provenance: Held by the Estate of Yousuf & Estrellita Karsh; after Yousuf's death in 2002 passing to Estrellita Karsh; after Estrellita's death in March 2025 passing to Katherine Getchell, Co-Executor, Estrellita Karsh Estate and Personal Representative of Estrellita Karsh.

Other signatures include, in order of appearance:

- Augustus John (1878-1961)

- Augustine Birrell (1850-1933)

- Maurice Hewlett (1861-1923)

- Sir William Rothenstein (1872-1945)

- Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins (1863-1933)

- Elizabeth, Princess Bibesco (1897-1945)

- Stephen McKenna (1888-1967)

- Arthur Symons (1865-1945)

- Lytton Strachey (1880-1932)

- John Lavery (1856-1941)

- William John Locke (1863-1930)

- J. C. Squire (1884-1958)

- A. E. W. Mason (1865-1948)

- E. Ray Lankester (1847-1929)

- Desmond McCarthy (1877-1952)

- R. B. Cunningham Graham (1852-1936)

- John Drinkwater (1882-1937)

- John Masefield (1878-1967)

- E. V. Lucas (1868-1938)

- Robert Graves (1895-1985)

- Edwin Frederic Benson (1867-1940)

- Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953)

- Berta Ruck (1878-1978)

- Lucy Clifford (1846-1929)

- Marie Belloc Lowndes (1868-1947)

- Anstey Guthrie (1856-1934)

- Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)

- Sir Max Beerbohm (1872-1956)

- Betty Clifford, Mrs. Henry de la Pasture (1866-1945)

- Walter Raleigh (1861-1922)

- Robert Nichols (1893-1944)

- Edmund Gosse (1849-1928)

- Shane Leslie (1885-1971)

- Alice Meynell (1847-1922)

- Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946)

- Enid Bagnold (1889-1981)

- William Orpen (1878-1931)

- Joseph Conrad (1857-1924)

- Frank O. Salisbury (1874-1962)

- Harry Graham (1874-1936)

- Philip Wilson Steer (1860-1942)

Yousuf Karsh is recognized as one of the leading photographers of the twentieth century. Arriving in Canada in 1924 as an Armenian refugee, Karsh eventually settled in Ottawa. Over six decades, he mastered the art of portraiture and created a unique chronicle of his time through images of celebrated legends. Some of his most notable subjects include Winston Churchill, Audrey Hepburn, Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Ernest Hemingway, among others. A celebrity in his own right, he was an elegant and charming public figure, captivating audiences with compelling stories told in images and words. Karsh sought to capture, as he put it, the "elusive moment of truth," revealing the essential nature of his subjects as reflected in their eyes, hands, and attitudes.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 7" x 10" x 1.5"
  • Medium: Album

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000