Clemens, Samuel Langhorne ("Mark Twain").

i) 12 sepia toned silverprints by the Victorian photographer Arthur Dunn, five depicting Clemens and his family; the remainder of Dollis Hill House and park during the period of Clemens's residence there, each photograph 70 x 95mm., in an album with an additional print of one photograph on the upper cover, 1900, some silvering, binding chipped and worn



ii) cabinet size photograph of Twain with his wife and daughters at Dollis Hill (later print), stamped A. Dunn, Willesden



iii) three autograph letters signed by Clemens ("S.L. Clemens"), to W.R. Dunn, agreeing to be photographed by his son Arthur ("...if you will call at the house any time after 9.45 you will find me up & at leisure...") and commenting on the results ("...I have not seen finer photographs than those six pictures of Dollis Hill & the family taken by your son..."), 3 pages, 4to and 8vo, integral blanks, headed stationery, London and New York, 20 September [1900] to 3 January 1902, laid down in an album, one lightly stained



iv) original photographic printer's block of head-and-shoulders portrait of Mark Twain, 62 x 50mm.



v) related material: the remainder of the album with letters by various other correspondents including Twain's cousin and biographer Cyril Clemens, and Lord Aberdeen, the owner of Dollis Hill House, relating to photographs, together with press cuttings about Dunn's photography and local events in north west London, altogether about 50 pages, plus blanks, 1897-1929

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."

mark twain in suburban london. Clemens stayed in London for about a year, beginning in the autumn of 1899, and for the last two months he found himself in the somewhat unlikely surroundings of Willesden, staying at Dollis Hill House at the invitation of the newspaper proprietor Hugh Gilzean-Reid. The house had extensive grounds and was then at the very edge of the metropolis, as can be seen in these photographs taken by a gifted local amateur photographer. Clemens was very taken with the house and its surroundings:

"...From the house you can see little but spacious stretches of hay fields and green turf...Yet the massed, brick blocks of London are reachable in three minutes on a horse. By rail we can be in the heart of London, in Baker Street, in seventeen minutes - by a smart train in five..." (letter to J.H. Twitchell)