Album comprising 41 artworks, the majority in pencil, a few watercolours, most by Louisa Leeds (later Oglander), a few by her brother Augustus F. Leeds, comprising: 18 portraits, the majority delicately rendered in pencil and signed by Louisa Leeds, the portraits heightened with watercolour, particularly pink to give a life-like blush to the sitters; 2 group portraits (of portrait sitters at cards); 3 group scenes with a grander scope: one of a horse race and its bystanders (signed by Louisa Leeds); one panorama of promenading men and women; and the third, a double-page drawing room scene, featuring many of the persons who appear in Leeds’ individual portraits. 8 illustrations of places, including: Sintra, Belem Castle (in Lisbon), and various views of Parnham House (a seat of the Oglander family) and its environs. 4 illustrations of ships and maritime scenes, including “Lisbon & H.M.S. Malabar”, and “Sir Henry Oglander’s Firefly built about 1854”. 6 illustrations of miscellaneous subjects including a large pencil drawing depicting a family of brigands, a child praying, and a lovers’ tryst by a moonlit casement.
Portraits of note: Louisa Leeds [of herself]; A. F. Leeds [her brother]; “Captain Harry Keppel R. N. 1840” [Henry Keppel (1809-1904), later Admiral of the Fleet]; and his wife, “the Honble Mrs Henry Keppel”; Sir William Montague [rear-Admiral and brother-in-law of Louisa Leeds]; a later, more candid, pen and ink portrait of “Lady M” [likely Sir William Montague’s wife, Anne]; Duc de Bassano; Michael Bruce (Grenadier Guards); and Mr Brackenbury (H R M consul at Cadiz).
The drawing room panorama features 12 figures, including the artist, who sits on the far right, with a book open on her lap and a pencil poised, apparently drawing the present scene. The party guests, who include the Marquis d’Aske, Duc de Bassano, Lady M (likely Lady Anne Montague, Louisa’s half-sister), Ellen [Leeds], Sir W[illiam]. M[ontague], Comte Proginski, Tom Cosby, Contesse Linowska, Mr Spalding, Comte Linowski, and Sir H[enry] Seton, are depicted at a variety of leisure activities: playing the harpsichord, perusing a book, drawing, playing at cards, and Comte Linowski is warming himself by the fire. The room is vividly rendered in grayscale in pen and ink, and heightened and given depth and richness with watercolour. The details of furniture and furnishings add to a sense of realism rarely seen in amateur works of the period. In contrast to the majority of the drawings in the album, which are tipped in, the panorama is drawn directly on to the page and the details and wash reach to the very edges, adding to its vividness and immediacy.
Louisa Leeds was born c. 1821 to Sir George William Leeds (1st Baronet Leeds, 1773-1838) and his wife Eleanor Leeds, of Croxton Park, Cambridge. Eleanor was Sir George’s second wife; Louisa Leeds was the second of four children born to the pair. Sir George also had five children from his previous marriage (his first wife Maria Sanderson had died in 1817). A portrait of her elder brother, Augustus Frederick (1820-1888) is one of the portraits present; and he is almost certainly the artist of a number of other inclusions (signing his works “A F L”), including a detailed and reasonably accomplished illustration of “Lisbon & H.M.S. Malabar”, and a candid “Fancy Portrait” of a portly gentleman (unnamed), asleep with his elevated foot resting upon a chair. Louisa Leeds married Henry Oglander, 7th Baronet of Nunwell, Isle of Wight in 1845, five years after the majority of works in this volume were drawn. Although, watercolours of Parnham House (another Oglander seat), and one of Henry Oglander’s yacht Firefire, indicate that a few later illustrations have also been included in the album.
This volume appears to be, predominantly, a record of a particular house party, or series of social events. From the contents – the portraits of Royal Naval officers, international guests, a horse race at Ghent, and the multiple Portuguese scenes – it seems likely to have been executed on the continent. One of Louisa Leeds’ portraits is of Admiral Sir William Montague (1785-1852), who was related to Louisa and Augustus Leeds through marriage: Anne Leeds, Louisa and Augustus’ half-sister, married Montague in 1823. Montague, who was the illegitimate son of the 5th Earl of Sandwich, first went to sea at the age of 11 in 1896. He served on a number of frigates before rising to the rank of captain – of HMS Phaeton – in 1819. He later commanded the HMS Malabar (which is illustrated herein) between 1834 and 1837, at which time he ceased to go to sea. He continued rising through the naval ranks, becoming rear-Admiral in 1841 and vice-Admiral in 1851. It is tempting to think the siblings were travelling with Sir William Montague and his wife, Anne, when this album was composed.
Highlights: Double-page illustration of a drawing room scene (unsigned, but by Louisa Leeds) (220 by 570mm), pen and ink and watercolour. Horse race – “Race between Mr Cosby’s & Mr Spalding’s “Dare-devil” ridden by themselves” (signed “Louisa L.”) (137 by 218mm), pencil and watercolour, areas of the horses’ coats apparently in oil. “A very good match took place between Mr Spalding’s Daredevil, by Sultan (owner), eighty-two killo [sic], and Mr G Lousada’s Myrtle, by Zinganee (Capt. Cosby), seventy killo. The same match had come off on deep ground, and the horse had won; but as the soil is lighter at Ghent, the mare had it by a head, but with difficulty. Nothing but Capt. Cosby’s very fine riding could have placed her there. Spalding’s performances, with his weight, were also very creditable. Another horse of Mr Lousada’s threw his rider, and was not caught till ten o’clock at night, having left the cords, and taken a rural stroll!” (‘Racing in Belgium, 1841’ in The Sporting Review ed. by ‘Craven’ [John William Carleton], p.178).
Small panorama of a promenade, pencil note on the verso: “Boulogne 1840 Painted by “Aunt Lou”. 2 Ladies grey & red dresses are “Aunt Lou & Ellen Leeds”. A stray Frenchman is taking his hat off to them and Oglander’s father is preparing to “teach him manners”” (loose). Pencil lower right reads “Brest Sept 1846” (unsigned, but by Louisa Leeds) (110 by 234mm), pencil and watercolour.
