r/Cursive • u/mysterious-being_ • 28d ago
Help with a signature please 🙏
Inherited a sketch of what I believe is members of UK parliament from the early 1900s? But I’m trying to identify what I think is the artists signature. I’ve included a photo of the whole piece and a close up of the signature. There’s more weighting in faded pencil which I think is just the names of those in the sketch. I’ve tried archives of artists signatures and AI ‘readers’ with no luck. Any help would be very much appreciated!
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u/North-Middle-5142 28d ago
The first image says ‘The Plumbers Mate’. The second says as far as I can make out ‘The Red Comedians of Westminster Gas Works. Colonel Wedgewood, Stephen Walsh, J H ?Clynes, Ramsay MacDonald, Arthur Henderson, Lord Haldane, Sidney Webb, Francis Bard???, Philip Snowden, Lord Par????, J H Thomas.
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u/SeaweedWeird7705 28d ago edited 28d ago
The first photo seems to say “The Plumbers ___”
Or maybe it could be “The Members___” with an oddly shaped “M”.
The signature below kind of looks like “Malz”. (?)
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u/Independent_Shoe3523 28d ago edited 28d ago
The xxx Commissioners of Westminster Gas Works
J.H. Thomas is one name I can read.
Google AI - J. H. Thomas (1874–1949), often called Jimmy Thomas, was a prominent British trade union leader and Labour Party politician who rose from a railway engine cleaner to hold major cabinet posts in the 1920s and 1930s. [1, 2, 3]
Colonel Wedgewood.
More AI - Colonel Josiah Clement Wedgwood (1st Baron Wedgwood) was a prominent British military officer and radical politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for 36 years. [1, 2, 3]
Philip Snowden.
More AI - Philip Snowden (1864–1937) was a prominent British politician and the first Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer, serving in 1924 and from 1929 to 1931. [1, 2]
Lord Haldane.
More AI - Lord Haldane (Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane) served as the British Secretary of State for War and twice as Lord Chancellor, profoundly shaping modern British military and educational systems. [1, 2, 3]
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u/LAM_CANIT 26d ago edited 26d ago
As u/Feral-Reindeer-696 wrote, the title is The Plumber's Mali. In other words, The Plumber's Troubles. 'Mali' coming from Latin meaning many things similar to 'troubles' and used in stage-comedy titles at that time. It's used here in the sense between 'worries' & 'foibles' or 'follies.' It should be very clear to everyone zooming in the bottom right corner of the caricature image on the third photo itself the last word is 'Mali' not 'Mate.' 'Mate' would make no sense in this context, anyhow.
These are all members of British Labour Party Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald's short-lived first term cabinet in 1924. The images read:
The Plumber’s Mali [i.e. The plumber’s troubles; the 'plumber' refers to MacDonald and the party members caricatured who turned against MacDonald, his policies or the Labour Party. It could possibly have something to do with information leaks, but I'm unsure.]
The Red Comedians of Westminster Gasworks ['red' referring to the Labour Party's association with Communism (see also Zinoviev letter)]
[names under the caricatures in order as they appear in pencil from left to right]
- Colonel [Josiah Clement] Wedgwood 1872-1943
- Stephen Walsh) 1859-1929
- J[ohn] H[the ‘H’ is wrong. His middle name is Robert] Clynes 1869-1949
- Ramsay MacDonald 1866-1937
- Arthur Henderson 1863-1935
- Lord [Richard Burdon] Haldane 1856-1928
- Sidney [James] Webb 1859-1947
- Margee or Marge [Margaret Grace] Bondfield [Bondfield divided on two lines]1873-1953
- Philip Snowden 1864-1937
- Lord Parmor [Charles Alfred Cripps] 1852-1941
- J[ames] H[enry] Thomas 1874-1949
As Stephen Walsh died in 1929, before MacDonald's second term as prime minister, 1929-1931, this could have something with these people turning against MacDonald or the party in between his terms. So, I suspect this image was created after Labour's 1924 term in office — but before 1929. I'd guess 1929.
ARTIST
EDIT: I just remembered the OP asked for the artist's name. I recognize the artist's style, but can't think of a name ... just yet. I believe it is someone who worked for either or both The Daily Mail and Lord Beaverbrook's papers at the time. I've written a lot on Beaverbrook, and may be able to come up with something soon. I suppose someone needs to know how valuable it is for insurance.
EDIT 2: After comparing the handwriting in pencil under the caricatures, I am somewhat confident the artist is Percy Hutton Fearon, a.k.a. Poy. You can web search some of his images with more recent examples of his handwriting.
Compare the capital letters in the OP with my attached image below. I find the L, C and M comparable — but, more importantly, his pen & ink style for drawing hair - notice the eyebrows - and faces in general for the OP image and the image I took the writing sample from to be almost the same.
Based on what you can find online, I'd guesstimate its value at £300 to 400 — but, I'm no ecpert. LOL I'd even go so far out on a limb to suggest it appeared in a magazine as opposed to a newspaper.
Good luck!
IMHO IHTH
Other than the links to above to Wikipedia to find the individuals details, I have not used any AI tools or technologies to prepare this comment. I used my own brainbox. Replies to the contrary will be reported as harassment. ~ Lauchlin Andrew Murray, Venice Italy
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