TENNIEL, 'DEARLY BOUGHT', PENCIL, 1874

210 by 159mm., pencil, signed with monogram and dated 1874, inscribed with title and publication details on original mount, signed and inscribed ‘an original sketch for the Punch cartoon (finished 1892)’ on reverse of original mount, mounted, framed and glazed

Mary Green (nee Tenniel), the artist's sister and thence by descent EXHIBITED:
‘The Illustrators. The British Art of Illustration 1870-2010’, Chris Beetles Gallery, 2010, no 50

Punch, 21 March 1874, page 121

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In 1871, Britain purchased the Dutch Gold Coast, in West Africa, from the Dutch, including the port of El Mina, which the Ashanti claimed as their own. On invading the British protectorate, they were repelled by Sir Garnet Wolseley (1833-1913), leading British, Indian and African troops, in what became known as the third Anglo-Ashanti War (1873-74). Following the Battle of Ordhasu in February 1874, the British occupied the capital, Coomassie (Kumasi), and gained the submission of King Coffee (Kofi Karikari, reigning 1867-74). His ceremonial parasol was presented to Queen Victoria, and then loaned by her to ‘A collection of gold and other objects from Ashanti’, a highly popular display held later that year in the North Court of the South Kensington Museum. In the July, the Treaty of Fomena brought to the end a war in which most of the 300 British casualties had died from disease. The Gold Coast is now part of Ghana. In 1881, there was the threat of a new war between the British and the Ashanti. So, on 19 February 1881, Tenniel revisited the subject in The Irrepressible Nigger!, which depicts King Coffee retrieving his ‘umbrella’ from John Bull.