In September 2022 the following interesting item was listed for an up-and-coming sale at Forum Auctions in London “Dickes (William, English illustrator, engraver, printmaker and lithographer, 1815-1892), and others. Five sketchbooks with landscapes, figural and animal studies, and drawings after other designs, with over 160 album leaves.”

Although this sounded very interesting and something I would have liked to have studied myself the only person that I thought should own this was William Dickes’ Great Grandson, a New Baxter Society member. He has spent many years preparing a carefully researched account of William Dickes' life, work and family, a 30 year ‘work in progress’.

We had communicated a few times over the years discussing the connection between Baxter and his Great Grandfather and I advised him of the sale. He asked for ‘advice’ as he had never purchased at auction before and after some conversations, I left it with him to leave a bid with the auction house. I watched the sale online with interest as the sketchbooks sold for a good figure. I contacted him and asked if he was successful but although he had, bid what I felt was a very realistic figure he had been outbid, which was a shame.

A couple of weeks later we communicated again, and although disappointed at missing out he asked Forum Auctions to forward a letter on to the purchaser, asking if he might pay a fee for a photographic copy of the books. This led to the purchaser, who had presumably realised he had made a mistake and offered to sell the books to him for less than they had paid. So the books ended up where, I felt, they should have always been, at a price, it seems, both parties were very happy with.

The sketchbooks cover quite a wide date range from 1829, when Dickes would have only been 14 years of age, up to at least 1888, fifteen years after he had retired leaving his business to be run by his two sons.

The earliest includes four drawings, dated June 1829, of James Frederick Dickes, William’s brother, who tragically died, 1838, aged 18.

Another two are signed ‘William Dickes’ one with an address of 4 Charlotte Street dated Aug 1841 and another with the address of 75 Loughborough Park and dated 1852. The latter is recorded as William Dickes private residence which was kept within the family until 1920 when his son’s, ‘William Frederick Dickes’ death is registered at that address.

Dickes business address was 48 Salisbury Square London from 1846. In 1849 he moved to 4 Crescent Place Bridge Street Blackfriars, then to 5 Old Fish Street, Doctor's Common in 1851 and finally to 109 Farringdon Road, London around 1864 / 5. Please see Link 1 below for more information.

From the images I have seen the subjects are many and varied from landscapes to anatomical and including many nature subjects. They are all in pencil or ink or occasional watercolour, some are titled, many not, and include sketches of Windsor Castle, Brighton, Dover and Sevenoaks.

There are sketches of Dieppe, Boulogne and Rouen dated Sept. 1843 – this includes a sketch of a stagecoach in the ditch, presumably from a personal experience as his great grandson also holds his hand written single sheet passport recording his visit to France that month.

There are a number of sketches of the likes of Carlisle, Culloden and Inverness, along with many notes are other sketches from mid 1840’s most probably relating to his work on the Abbotsford Edition of the Waverley Novels of Sir Walter Scott, a very large commission.

It was thought initially that one of the sketchbooks was not associated with Dickes as it had the name Mr. Leitch at the front, it seems probable that he is William Leighton Leitch, in London from 1837, 'a master landscape watercolour painter and illustrator ... drawing master to Her Majesty and the royal family for 22 years.' (Wikipedia.) but when the sketchbooks were studied, along with Williams Dickes sketches, there is a note saying “'Mr. Leitch is to start on the 25th inst. ... to supply a drawing ... each ... week till completed.'

William Dickes had a team of artists for his work on the Waverley Novels, he himself provided about 500 of the 2000 drawings required. Mr. Leitch may have been part of that team.

I had hoped to find a sketch which he had later turned into one of the many Baxter process prints he produced but the nearest I could find were various studies of Lesser Black-backed Gulls showing a likeness to some of reward cards from ‘Birds of the Sea Shore’ but unfortunately nothing exact. Perhaps there is something on pages that I haven’t seen.