The Boydell Lottery--Bowyer’s “Historic” Lottery.
1803 had its usual annual lottery (43 Geo. III. c. 91), in which
£710,000 was given in prizes, and the Government netted £204,354 4_s._
9_d._ Another in 1804 (44 Geo. III. c. 93) has £800,000 in prizes, and
the net profit was £266,924 5_s._ 11_d._
This year is famous for the Shakespeare, or Boydell, Lottery. John
Boydell was an engraver in the city of London, of which he was elected
Alderman in 1782, Sheriff in 1785, and Lord Mayor in 1790. He died,
on December 12, 1804, aged 86. He was very ambitious, and brought
himself to financial grief over a magnificently illustrated edition of
Shakespeare, on which he employed all the best artists of the day. Let
him tell his own story, as contained in a letter from him to Sir John
William Anderson, and read by the latter in the House of Commons, when
applying for leave to dispose of the Shakespeare paintings, etc., by
lottery.
“You will excuse, my dear sir, some warmth in an old man on this
subject, when I inform you that this unhappy Revolution has cut up,
by the roots, that revenue from the Continent, which enabled me to
undertake such considerable works in this country.... Had I but laid up
ten pounds out of every hundred my plates produced, I should not now
have had occasion to trouble my friends, or appeal to the Public; but,
on the contrary, I flew with impatience to employ some new artist, with
the whole gains of my former undertakings. I now see my error, for I
have thereby decreased my ready money, and increased my stock of Copper
plates to such a size, that all the printsellers in Europe could not
purchase it, especially at these times, which are so unfavourable.” The
letter concludes with the suggestion that Parliamentary sanction should
be given to a lottery. “The objects of it are my pictures, galleries,
drawings, etc., etc., which, unconnected with my copper plates and
trade, are much more than sufficient to pay, if properly disposed of,
all I owe in the world.”
The following is the scheme of the
“SHAKESPEARE LOTTERY,
To be drawn pursuant to an Act of Parliament passed in the 44th year of
His Majesty’s reign, entitled 'An Act to enable John Boydell, Esq., one
of the Aldermen of the City of London, and Josiah Boydell, his Nephew
and Partner, to dispose of their Collection of Paintings, Drawings, and
Engravings, together with the Leasehold Premises in Pall Mall, called
the Shakespeare Gallery, by way of Chance.’
“The number of Tickets to be 22,000, at the price of THREE GUINEAS a
Ticket.
“The Capital Prizes are 62, which are to be decided by the sixty-two
Tickets first drawn. The holders of each and every of the 21,938
undrawn Tickets, are to receive a Print or Prints aggregately of the
estimated value of One Guinea, from the Collection of the said John and
Josiah Boydell, consisting of 4432 Copper-plates, according to their
Alphabetical Catalogue, lodged at the Shakespeare Gallery, in Pall
Mall, pursuant to the said Act.
“The Capital Prizes and Prints to be obtained by the holders of the
22,000 Tickets, amount to upwards of £69,800, according to the prime
cost proved before both Houses of Parliament; where evidence was also
given that the Copper-plates engraved from the pictures and drawings
that constitute the following prizes, had cost Messrs. Boydell upwards
of £300,000.
“The whole may be viewed at the Shakespeare Gallery--Admittance One
Shilling each person--such exhibition being reserved to Messrs. Boydell
by the Act.
“The Catalogue of the Shakespeare Pictures to be had as above, at one
shilling and sixpence each; and the Alphabetical Catalogue at the same
price. Both Catalogues may be seen and inspected at the Gallery, and at
No. 90, Cheapside.”
The first twenty-six prizes were framed paintings, by Poussin, Titian,
Teniers, Rubens, Caracci, Vernet, Hogarth, Copley, Northcote, Rigaud,
Peters, Stodhart, Angelica Kauffman, and other artists.
The next eighteen prizes were framed drawings, by Guido, Rubens,
Rembrandt, Vanderwerff, Both, Smirke, Westall, West, Angelica Kauffman,
Wright of Derby, Gainsborough, etc.
Prize No. 45 was thirty-seven drawings (unframed) by Linck.
The fourteen succeeding prizes were prints, and books with prints.
The sixty-first prize was twenty-eight large framed drawings by Richard
Westall, R.A., in colours, for the poetical works of Milton.
But the plum was the sixty-second and last prize, which consisted of
“the whole of the large pictures, from Shakespeare, now exhibiting,
and from which the large plates have been taken. Also the whole of
the small pictures, from which the plates have been engraved, for
the Embellishment of the Great National Edition of Shakespeare in
Nine Volumes, Folio. Also Seven Pictures of the Ages, by Smirke, R.A.
Together with all the Estate, Right and Interest of Messrs. John and
Josiah Boydell, in these Premises, which were erected by them, and in
which they hold an unexpired Term of sixty-four years, at a Ground Rent
of £125 per Annum.
“The Pictures are all framed, and are fully described in the
Shakespeare Gallery Catalogue, and amount, in the Whole, to 167;
besides which there are Three Supernumerary Pictures, not in the
Catalogue, and which have not been engraved.
“This Prize will also include the Alto Relievo in Front of the Gallery,
by T. Banks, R.A., and two Basso Relievos by the Hon. Anne Damer.
“What is given in this last Prize, for the Sixty Second Drawn Ticket,
has cost the Proprietors upwards of £30,000.”
This prize was won on June 28, 1805, by Mr. Tassie, a sculptor, who
lived in Leicester Square, and he, not wanting such a white elephant,
sent the pictures to Christie’s, where they were sold on May 17, 18,
and 20, 1805, realizing 10,237½ guineas.
On June 27, 1805, was passed another State lottery (45 Geo. III.
c. 74), which gave £750,000 in prizes, and yielded a net profit of
£363,070 9_s._ 11_d._ £250,000 of this lottery was drawn on September
30, 1805. On May 31 was drawn the last portion of the 1804 lottery.
Probably encouraged by the success of Boydell’s lottery, another
engraver followed his example, and had a lottery to get rid of his
unsaleable stock. It was drawn before September 30, 1805.
[Illustration]
“MR. BOWYER presumes he need not inform the Friends of Literature
and the Arts, that the Works which he has received the Sanction of
Parliament to dispose of by way of Lottery, are deemed the most
splendid Publications in Europe; he can, however, at all events, assure
them that these Works have cost him above a Hundred Thousand Pounds;
and that, after the Lottery is over, a single Copy of either cannot be
had on any terms whatever.
HISTORIC LOTTERY.
_Without a Possibility of the least Loss._
TICKETS, THREE GUINEAS EACH.
_Contains One Thousand Four Hundred and
Fifty-One_ CAPITAL PRIZES.
“Every Ticket not drawn one of the Capital Prizes will, never the less,
be entitled to and the Holder will _fairly_ and HONOURABLY receive
the FULL AMOUNT _of the Original Cost of the Ticket in_ BEAUTIFUL
ENGRAVINGS, most of them new Subjects never yet published; and that
Purchasers may be SATISFIED of receiving no other Engravings for the
Blanks but those of the VERY FIRST CLASS; Specimens of the WHOLE are
now exhibiting at the Historic Gallery, Pall Mall, and No. 73, Cornhill.
And of these they are warranted to receive fine
Impressions.
“LIST OF THE PRIZES.
_For the First drawn Ticket, Value Ten Thousand
Pounds._
£ _s._ _d._
No. of | All the Pictures composing the
prizes. | Historic Gallery in Pall Mall,
| painted by Members of the
| Royal Academy, and have cost
| the Proprietor, as proved before
| the Committees in both
| Houses of Parliament 8,433 4 0
| Four sets of the History of
| England, at £73 10/- each 294 0 0
| Four sets of do., the Plates on
| India Paper, at £147 588 0 0
1 --| Four sets of the Engravings, at
| £50 each Copy 200 0 0
| Four sets of the Historical
| Engravings, £24 10/- each Set 98 0 0
| Four sets of the Etchings of the
| above Work, at 30 Guis. each 126 0 0
| Four complete Sets of Views in
| Egypt, etc., etc., at £55 4/- 100 16 0
| One large Picture of the Battle
| of the Nile, by R. Smirke, jun.,
| from a design by Anderson 160 0 0
| ---------------
| £10,000 0 0
_For the Second to the Three Hundred and First drawn
Tickets, both inclusive._
|THREE HUNDRED PRIZES. Each £ _s._ _d._
| Prize to consist of a complete
| Set of the History of England,
| in Seventy Numbers, at one
| Guinea each Number. This
| work contains nearly 200 Engravings,
300 | has cost upwards of
| £68,000, and is deemed the
| most magnificent Work in
| Europe. Three Hundred
| Prizes, therefore, at £73 10/-
| each, the price to Subscribers,
| is 22,050 0 0
_For the three Hundred and Second to the Eight
Hundred and First drawn Tickets, both inclusive._
|FIVE HUNDRED PRIZES. Each
| Prize to consist of a Complete
| Set of Engravings, being near
| Two Hundred in Number,
500 | and which form the entire
| Embellishments to the Splendid
| Work of the History of
| England, at the price to
| Subscribers, being £50 per set 25,000 0 0
_For the Eight Hundred and Second to the Nine Hundred
and Fifty First drawn Tickets, both inclusive._
|ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY
| PRIZES. Each of these Prizes
| to consist of a Complete Set of
150 | the Historical Engravings to
| the above Work, at £24 10/-
| each Set 3,675 0 0
_For the Nine Hundred and Fifty Second to the Twelve
Hundred and Fifty First drawn Tickets, both inclusive._
| THREE HUNDRED PRIZES. Each
| of these Prizes to consist of a
| Series of Four Engravings, 29
| Inches high by 17 Inches wide,
| to commemorate the four great
| Naval Victories of the late
| War, and containing near One
300 | Hundred Portraits of the
| Admirals and Captains who
| were engaged in those National
| Achievements. The Work is
| done up in Boards, with a
| History of each Action, printed
| by Bensley, at the Subscription
| price of Nine Guineas, is 2,835 0 0
_For the Twelve Hundred and Fifty Second to the
Fourteen Hundred and Fifty First drawn Tickets,
both inclusive._
| TWO HUNDRED PRIZES. Each of
| these Prizes to consist of a
| Complete Copy of a magnificent
| and interesting Work, just
| finished, of Views in Egypt,
| Palestine, and other parts of
| the Ottoman Empire, from the
| celebrated Collection of Drawings
200 | in the possession of Sir
| Robert Ainslie, Bart., in 2 Vols.
| Folio, containing Ninety-six
| Views, beautifully coloured to
| imitate the original Drawings;
| with a History of those Countries,
| at the Subscription Price,
| per Copy, of Twenty-four
| Guineas, is 5,040 0 0
----- ---------------
1,451 Capital Prizes. £68,600 0 0
------ ===============
20,549 Tickets, which, if not drawn either of the
22,000 Tickets. Capital Prizes above mentioned, will,
====== nevertheless, be entitled to new and
beautiful Engravings, of the Estimated
Value of 3 Guineas, being the Price of
each Ticket.
The whole of the Collection is, by the Act, vested in
Trustees for the Holders of the Tickets.”
The scheme then goes on to say that, if any one, taking more than one
share, should have duplicate engravings allotted to them, they will be
exchanged for others. The following were some of the subjects, and had
never before been published:--
“Matrimony; } These four Engravings are executed
Confirmation; } by Meadow, from four of the
Christening; } most beautiful Drawings ever
and the Lord’s } made by Mr. Westall. Size of
Supper. } Plates, 24 in. by 18.
} From the two celebrated Pictures
The Tired } by Opie, which were exhibited
Soldier, and its } two years ago at the Royal
Companion. } Academy. Size of Plates, 24
} in. by 19.
The Young } From two exquisite Pictures by
Cottager, and } Gainsborough. Size of Plates,
Companion. } 28 in. by 20.
Rural Innocence; } From two very fine Pictures by
Cottage } Sir Francis Bourgeois. Size,
Cares. } 28 in. by 20.
The Blind } From an interesting Picture by
Hermit. } Stothard. Size, 28 in. by 20.
Winter and }
Cottagers; } From beautiful Pictures by Morland.
Summer and } Size, 24 in. by 19.
Fishing. }
Wood Cutter, } All from Drawings by Morland.
and Six other } Size, 22 in. by 18.
Engravings. }
Fishermen } From two Pictures by Bigg. Size,
going out; } 24 in. by 19.”
Ditto returning. }
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
This lottery rather hung fire, and, before its drawing, an additional
stimulus was given by the promise that every purchaser, at the time
of buying a ticket, should be presented with an engraved portrait of
Nelson or Collingwood, at their option.
In 1806 a State lottery was granted (46 Geo. III. c. 148), July 22, in
which £900,000 was the amount of prizes, and net profit £378,039 16_s._
2_d._
Bish issued a handbill relative to the lottery began to be drawn on
February 3 this year.
“FIRST 5000 TICKETS.
T. BISH, Contractor for the approaching grand Lottery, solicits the
Public to notice that the first 5000 Tickets drawn are sure to be
ALL PRIZES,
From £22 to £20,000, and the First drawn Ticket,
MONDAY, February 3^{rd}, cannot be less than
£10,022,
And may be more: The advantage in buying before the Drawing begins, is,
therefore, obvious, as those whose Tickets are drawn early will be
SURE TO GAIN,
And, if their tickets are not drawn Capital Prizes in the _first_
instance, they will have the advantage of CHANGING them (without any
additional expence) for
_Undrawn Tickets_
Or Shares, by which means they have a DOUBLE CHANCE for the numerous
Prizes with which the Scheme abounds, from
£50 to £20,000;
Or, if they should wish to part with them, there is not a doubt but
they may easily find Purchasers (at a profit), as Tickets at that
time[21] will be scarce, especially as the first drawn Ticket on the
fourth Day is entitled to
£20,000.
[21] “In the Lottery which drew this time last year, every Ticket was
sold before the third day of Drawing, notwithstanding they were as high
as £22 before the Drawing began.”
[Illustration]
[Illustration]