{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O900009"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O900009/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2026PU2702/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2026PU2702/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2026PU2702","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O900009/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O900009","accessionNumber":"D.1-1899","objectType":"Drawing","titles":[{"title":"Letters from Monaco","type":"series title"}],"summaryDescription":"Randolph Caldecott (1846 – 86) was an illustrator and artist best known for his children’s picture books. <i>The Graphic </i>was a newspaper founded in 1869 as a competitor to the <i>Illustrated London News</i>. It was known for its high quality of illustrations, which Caldecott contributed to from 1872 to 1886. He wrote illustrated both semi-factual observational travel pieces and fictional comics and stories. Caldecott’s illustrations were often printed in colour, or his signature brown, which made them stand out amongst the black and white of the rest of the newspaper.","physicalDescription":"Drawings and handwritten manuscript, with an illustration of the coast above the text, and an illustration of figures playing bowls below. The illustration at the top of the letter depicts a view of the coastline around Monaco, looking across the Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo, Menton and to Bordighera in the far distance.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Caldecott, Randolph","id":"A7562"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"paper","id":"AAT14109"},{"text":"ink","id":"AAT15012"}],"techniques":[{"text":"drawing","id":"x32498"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Pen and ink drawings and manuscript on paper","categories":[{"text":"Drawings","id":"THES48966"},{"text":"Illustration","id":"THES48938"},{"text":"Tourism and travel","id":"THES250702"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"PDP","id":"THES48595"},"images":["2026PU2702"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLE","id":"THES49657"},"free":"","case":"I","shelf":"141","box":"B"}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"drawing","id":"AAT33973"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Monaco","id":"x30051"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1877","earliest":"1877-01-01","latest":"1877-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"E.114-1899","id":"O901876"},"association":""},{"object":{"text":"D.2-1899","id":"O900008"},"association":""},{"object":{"text":"D.3-1899","id":"O900007"},"association":""},{"object":{"text":"D.4-1899","id":"O900006"},"association":""}],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"27.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"30.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'To W.L. Thomas Esq, The Graphic, 190. The Strand, London. From R. Caldecott, Spléndide hôtel, Menton'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Written in pencil at the top of page"},{"content":"'Monaco / 28th January / 1877 / Dear G / Here I give you a rock climber's view of the principality / of Monaco - the old town on the rock, Monte Carlo on the left of the bay, / the Condamine between. You are looking eastward towards Mentone, which / is behind the dark cape. On the farthest point is the Italian town of Bordi- / ghera. / The air of Monaco is exciting. Almost the first thing one / notices is a group of men on the Places d'Armes playing at a violent kind / of bowls, using strong language + clutching their beards when unlucky.'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"Purchased from Mrs Marian Caldecott in 1899, alongside several other drawings (object numbers D.1 to 6-1899) and proofs ( object numbers E.17 to 354-1899).","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Drawings and manuscript for 'Letters from Monaco' for <i>The Graphic</i>, pen and ink on paper, by Randolph Caldecott, Monaco, 1877","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"Unique","id":"THES48864"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[{"text":"Monaco","id":"x30051"}],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[{"text":"Caldecott, Randolph (Mrs)","id":"C4212"}],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[{"text":"The Graphic","id":"A25336"}],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"ball games","id":"AAT239662"},{"text":"coastal towns","id":"AAT8483"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["D.1-1899"],"accessionNumberNum":"1","accessionNumberPrefix":"D","accessionYear":1899,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-09-30","recordCreationDate":"2009-06-30","availableToBook":false}}