The Showman of Mont Blanc

Lawrences Auctioneers recent book sale on the 16th March was one of the most successful provincial specialist book auctions to have been held this year.

The archive of material relating to Albert Smith, the Victorian Alpinist and Performer, contained some unrepeatable items which came to the market for the first time, direct from the family.

Few of us outside the relevant specialist fields will have come across Albert Smith before, but he was well known in the Victorian period who wrote for many publications and even ran his own magazine ‘The Man in the Moon’ as a competitor to Punch. He is best known for having climbed Mt Blanc and the show that he put on in the Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly in London for a number of seasons told the story of this adventure. The archive which achieved a total of over £52,500 (inc BP) included his original lecture notes, publications, letters, and items of ephemera which had been kept by the family in wonderfully good condition. The scrolling Diorama (pictured) gave us a glimpse of the Mt Blanc Show which was enjoyed by thousands of paying guests, including Queen Victoria and her family at Osborne House.

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