(Dickens, Charles) — Joseph Clayton ("Kyd") Clarke | A series of 649 original character-studies illustrating the work of Charles Dickens

(Dickens, Charles) — Joseph Clayton ("Kyd") Clarke 

A Series of 649 Original Character-Studies illustrating the Works of Charles Dickens. [London:] 1885-1889

 649 original pen, ink and watercolor drawings (279 x 254 ea.), signed ("Kyd"), on thick paper [with:] manuscript listing of collection. Housed in a series of six chemises and clamshell cases.

A comprehensive and charming collection of drawings of Dickensian characters.

The collection is organized into individual titles by Dickens, each accompanied by a handwritten title page and a manuscript list of characters, both adorned with colorful embellishments (these are distinct from the character drawings and not included in their count).

Joseph Clayton Clarke, known by his pen name "Kyd," was a Victorian illustrator celebrated for his vibrant depictions of Charles Dickens's characters. His watercolor portraits brought Dickens’s figures to life, emphasizing their distinct personalities with exaggerated humor, charm, or menace, vibrantly shown in the present character studies. Over his career, Kyd produced hundreds of drawings, many of which became the most recognizable visual incarnations of Dickensian characters, cementing his legacy as one of the foremost interpreters of Dickens’s literary world.

While collections of Kyd's watercolor drawings of Dickensian characters have previously been sold at auction, this is likely the largest single collection ever offered, surpassing even the collection acquired by the British Museum in 1910, which included 598 drawings.