Denmark by Aleph (3 results)

c. 24 x 20 cm. Original early chromolithographed (colour printed) caricature map of Denmark represented by Alexandria, then Princess of Wales. The four lines of verse beneath map read: ''For Shakespeare's Prince, and the Princess of Wales, / To England dear. Her royal spirit quails; / From skating faint, she rests upon the snow; / Shrinking from unclean beasts that grin below''. Published in 'Geographical Fun', an atlas of caricature maps of European counties drawn, according to the preface, by a fifteen-year-old girl 'seeking to amuse a brother confined to his bed by illness'. In actuality the author was William Harvey (1796-1873), a London doctor and journalist, best-known for his book 'London Scenes and London People', published in 1863. According to the author, 'If these geographical puzzles excite the mirth of children; the amusement of the moment may lead to the profitable curiosity of youthful students, and embue the mind with a healthful taste for an acquaintance with foreign lands. No history, no journal can be understood without a knowledge of maps, and good service is done when we make such information more easy and agreeable'. Extract from "Geographical Fun", being Humourous Outlines of Various Countries by Aleph.

Coloured chromolithograph; very light spotting, otherwise a fine example. A caricature or anthropomorphic map, published in "Geographical Fun. Humorous Outlines of Various Countries"', priced five shillings. The map was supposedly drawn by a fifteen year old girl (Lilian Lancaster 1852-1939), with the verse underneath by 'Aleph', a pseudonym for William Harvey (1796-1873). He was a popular journalist and author of 'London Scenes and London People.', published in 1863. In 1863 Princess Alexandra of Denmark married the Prince of Wales: here she is shown as a skater resting on the snow, harried by various "unclean beasts that grin below". SLOWTHER: Compass Points (The Map Collector 16, p.48-).

London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1869. 250 x 210mm. Anthropomorphic map of Denmark. The text below the image reads, ''For Shakespeare's Prince, and the Princess of Wales, To England dear. Her royal spirit quails; From skating faint, she rests upon the snow; Shrinking from unclean beasts hat grin below''. It was published in 'Geographical Fun', a charming atlas of caricature maps of European counties, drawn, according to the preface, by a fifteen-year-old girl to amuse her sick brother. The author, was however, William Harvey (1796-1873), a London Doctor and Journalist, best-known for his book 'London Scenes and London People', 1863. The maps contain many references to the political changes sweeping through continental Europe, with representations of Garibaldi and Bismark.