Fascinating album charts Boy’s Own Indian adventures

A FASCINATING photograph album charting an Army officer’s Boy’s Own-style adventures in the British Raj is the highlight of the Antique and General sale at Moore Allen & Innocent in Cirencester on Friday, November 8.

Elephant racing, bear baiting, and pig sticking were all pastimes enjoyed by a lieutenant in the 15th Hussars who, identified only as ‘Self’ in the hand-written captions, chronicled his adventures in sepia photographs between 1900 and 1905.

Recently, Army archivists identified ‘Self’ as Lt Blyth Ritchie, who joined the Hussars in 1897. A great many of the photographs are formal group portraits of Lt Ritchie and his comrades in uniform, but several – like a picture of a group of officers in formal dress enjoying an al fresco dinner while an officer on horseback leaps over the dining table, or the unfortunate Indian servant running from an exploding time gun – must have been as much fun to photograph as they are to look at today.

When not on active service in India, the cavalryman was just as busy with his camera at home. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a fair few of the pictures feature scenes of hunting with horses and foxhounds in northern England and Scotland.

Lt Ritchie’s album will appeal to collectors of militaria, hunting memorabilia or old photographs. It is estimated at £400 to £600.

With Christmas fast approaching, the eternal question of what to buy the cook who has everything might be answered by not one, but two items of Victorian kitchenware that will go under the hammer on Friday.

The first is a large butter press. About the size of a loaf of bread, this beech box, with internal lever, butter tray and heavy press on the top is ideal for personalising your 250g pack of generic dairy spread with a thistle emblem, and impressing your dinner guests! Estimate £40 to £60.

Meanwhile a pair of wrought iron sugar nips on an oak base allow you to break those troublesome rock-sized lumps of sugar into more manageable pieces. Estimate £40 to £60. It’s amazing to think that these items were once commonplace in the kitchens of grand Victorian houses.

Finally, and just as oddly, what looks like the world’s most uncomfortable chair could be yours for just £80 to £120. The frame of this chair is fashioned from the antlers of several stags, while the seat is covered in deerskin. Whilst unusual today, these chairs were common in hunting lodges in the 19th century.

Friday’s sale will be followed by the Moore Allen pre-Christmas General sale with ideas for all sorts of presents on Friday, November 21 featuring those staples of the festive season, toys and booze. A goods selection of Brittains farm machinery and implements, antique dolls and teddies, tin toys, trains and board games all feature in the toy section, whilst nearly 400 bottles of fine yet affordable wines and ports will also be on offer, inc two double magnums of Taylors port, ten dozen bottles of Chablis of various vintages, both regular bottles and magnums, seven dozen bottles of Chateu Ormes de Pez Saint Estephe, three dozen bottles of Montagny Cru and a smattering of Moet et Chandon and Lanson Black Label.

An Indian servant running from an exploding time gun	An officer on horseback leaping over al fresco diners
Scenes of elephant racing all from the photo album of Lt Blythe Ritchie
A butter press and a pair of sugar nips from a Victorian kitchen	An antler chair