Lot #779: Two Vintage 1900s UK Art Postcards - "Captive Adromache" (Eyre & Spottiswoode Ltd.) - "Bloody Tower - Tower of London" (Gale & Polden, Ltd.)

Two Vintage 1900s UK Art Postcards (1) One Vintage UK 1900s Art Postcard, unused, showing the woman in black robes in ancient Greek marketplace with title caption "Captive Adromache, Lord Leighton, P.R.A. (Manchester Art Gallery)". This richly coloured postcard indicates the publisher as "Eyre & Spottiswoode Ltd. Woodbury Series, No. 6130. Printed in England. . No Stamp. Never Postally Used. No Message. This paintng depicts Andromache, the widow of the Trojan hero Hector, following the fall of Troy dressed in somber black robes, standing in a queue to draw water at the Messenger Spring in Greece. She is a prisoner of war, surrounded by the bustling, colorful life of her captors. The original painting is held in the Manchester Art Gallery. It was purchased by the city in 1889 for a significant sum, reflecting the North of England's pride in acquiring world-class "High Art" for its public galleries. This Eyre & Spottiswoode card (Woodbury Series No. 6130) is a later entry in the Woodbury Series compared to the "The Vigil" (No. 4115), offered as Lot #776, but it maintains the same rigorous standards of the King’s Printers. (2) One Vintage UK 1900s Art Postcard, unused, showing the Earl of Stafford imprisoned in the Tower of London with title caption "Bloody Tower - Tower of London". This postcard indicates the publisher as "Gale and Polden, Ltd. Aldershot and Portsmouth. Copyrighted. Printed in England. The G&P Series". No Stamp. Never Postally Used. No Message. Based in Aldershot and Portsmouth, Gale & Polden, Ltd. were the pre-eminent military and naval publishers of the British Empire. Because their primary offices were in the major army and navy hubs (Aldershot and Portsmouth), they specialized in postcards showing regiments, battles, and historic military sites. Their G&P Series brand was synonymous with accuracy and national pride. Their "Tower of London" series was designed as a souvenir for visitors who were captivated by the "Bloody Tower" and its legends. Gale & Polden used a high-contrast halftone or collotype process, with a sharper, more "documentary" feel, even when showing a painted scene. Dimensions: 9 mm x 14 mm Pickup category timeslot {A}