School of Henry William Pickersgill (British, 1782-1875) Portrait of Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873)

School of Henry William Pickersgill (British, 1782-1875) Portrait of Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) Unsigned, with the sitter's signature affixed to the mount below the drawing. Graphite on paper, sheet size 10 1/2 x 8 3/4 in. (26.7 x 22.4 cm), framed. Condition: Glue staining, minor foxing, laid down on paperboard. N.B. Edward Bulwer-Lytton was an English novelist and politician, credited with coining the phrases "the great unwashed," "pursuit of the almighty dollar," and "the pen is mightier than the sword." The specific authorship of this drawing is unknown. It closely resembles the portrait of Bulwer-Lytton painted by Henry William Pickersgill. The consignor acquired it as a work by Josiah Slater (British, active 1803-1847) from Shepherd Gallery, New York, in 1964. The delicacy of execution is certainly in keeping with this attribution.