George's Curios

23/08/2026

A fascinating 1894 yachting letter from Count Batthyány‑Strattmann to Lord Dunraven, written at the height of the Solent’s experimental Rater era. It captures Castle Yacht Club politics, the chaotic Sail‑Area Rule years, and candid commentary on the extreme 20‑Raters — including Stephanie, Dragon, Deirdre, Vigilant and Valkyrie. A rare, first‑hand glimpse into the design arms race that reshaped modern yacht architecture.
https://bit.ly/4ga5sha

1894 yachting letter from Count Batthyany-Strattmann to Lord Dunraven on Castle Yacht Club, 20-Rater experiments, “ugly” Stephanie, Dragon, Vigilant & Valkyrie.

21/08/2026

Two extraordinary letters from 1831–32 showing the rise and sudden collapse of patronage between the 4th Duke of Newcastle and artist Edmund Thomas Parris.
A full story in ink: a restoration commission, a social misstep, and a Duke who felt offended enough to cut ties.
Rare to see a complete narrative like this survive.
https://bit.ly/4bY3KNw
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Two letters from the 4th Duke of Newcastle to artist E.T. Parris, 1831–32, showing a restoration commission and the later breakdown of their patronage.

21/08/2026

A remarkable 1817 postcard format letter signed Hopetoun, sent flat and unsealed on quality paper. Written days after Princess Charlotte’s funeral and addressed to a Sunninghill clergyman. Superb early postal history.
https://bit.ly/4ilV8Eb

1817 open postcard‑format letter signed Hopetoun, to Sunninghill clergyman, seeking details of Princess Charlotte’s funeral; charged 1d with London octagon.

18/08/2026

A remarkable SHAEF dinner piece signed by Eisenhower, Summersby, Gault and Lt Gen Morgan — the original D‑Day planner. A rare glimpse into Allied Command at work.
For Sale here: https://bit.ly/4xJGCul

WWII Castaing menu signed by Eisenhower, Summersby, Gault and Lt Gen Morgan; a rare SHAEF staff‑group piece from a senior Allied Command dinner.

12/08/2026

BBC Children’s Hour, early BBC history, 1930s broadcasting, Uncle Mac, Derek McCulloch, Frederick Grisewood, Victor Hely Hutchinson, John Kettlewell, Cyril Nash, C. E. Hodges, George H. Dixon, Cecil E. M. Dixon, vintage autographs, album leaf, broadcasting memorabilia, radio history, Schools Broadcasting, rare signatures, 1931, 1932, British radio heritage, collectors item, BBC archive interest
https://bit.ly/4gpOMlM
’sHour

06/08/2026

A tragic moment from one of the 19th century’s most important LGBTQ+ households…

In 1862, sculptor Emma Stebbins wrote from Rome describing the sudden death of Brier, the Cushman household Scotch terrier — the same incident she later published in her biography of Charlotte Cushman.

A rare, intimate letter from the q***r women’s art colony in Rome, where Stebbins and Cushman lived openly as partners among fellow women sculptors and writers.

https://bit.ly/4fVHDYW

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03/08/2026

A rare suffragette find: An autograph letter signed by Sarah Broom Macnaughtan (1864–1916), WSPU member, novelist, traveller, and humanitarian. Written from Government House, Calcutta, during her India–Burma tour, and addressed to her sister Emmie — one of the “Us Four.”
https://bit.ly/3TSuMzn

ALS from WSPU suffragette Sarah Broom Macnaughtan, written at Government House Calcutta in 1910 with India–Burma travel content and reference to “Us Four.”

02/08/2026

A lovely find — an original Kate Greenaway bookplate proof, dated 11 June 1898, engraved by Swain & Son (Joseph Swain, 1820–1909). Made for Hannah Jane Locker‑Lampson (1864–1937), daughter of the poet and bibliophile Frederick Locker‑Lampson (1821–1895).

This is a production proof, not a finished bookplate — complete with Swain’s process annotation “Process Swain 3/6”. Beautiful Greenaway design, crisp impression, and a rare survival from the Victorian illustration world.

https://georgescurios.com/category/for-sale/

01/08/2026

A Pilot, a Tide, and a Ship That Would Not Obey — My Log of July 1825
A week of changeable winds, heavy seas, and a ship that fought every mile.
This narrative is built from a surviving fragment of my 1825 ship’s log.
https://georgescurios.com/2026/08/01/a-pilot-a-tide-and-a-ship-that-would-not-obey-my-log-of-july-1825/

A vivid first‑person tale built from a surviving 1825 ship’s log, recounting the Sally Gale’s struggle through Molde Sound against changeable winds, tide and sea.

31/07/2026

Early Washington, c.1801–03 — Alexander Baring in the first decade of the American government.
This folded bifolium carries Baring’s diplomatic‑financial message from the Treasury orbit, routed under outer address to Monsieur Pichon, the French chargé d’affaires.
Surviving examples showing direct legation routing are exceptionally scarce, especially with intact wax seal and full Washington context.
A fascinating piece of early Franco‑American diplomacy.
https://georgescurios.com/2026/07/31/alexander-baring-als-letter-to-louis-andre-pichon-re-albert-gallatin-usa-c-1802/

Early Washington ALS from Alexander Baring, c.1801–03, on single folded sheet with original address panel to Monsieur Pichon; strong Franco‑US diplomatic content.