Latest News Articles by Tom Derbyshire
Maybe not the Indiana Jones of Kent, but still an archaeological trailblazer
07 August 2026Bryan Faussett (1720-76) was a clergyman and amateur historian in the grand tradition who spent much of his time opening tumuli in his native county of Kent.
Boydell complete set emerges from Scottish historic house
07 August 2026John Boydell’s (1720-1804) entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography states that “no print publisher before or since has ever exerted as much influence on the course of British art”.
Hammer total climbs to nearly £35,000 at auction for Arthur Wakefield archive detailing the 1922 British Mount Everest Expedition
03 August 2026A fascinating archive of diaries and photographs shedding light on the 1922 British Mount Everest Expedition has sold for almost £35,000 in total at auction.
Oxfordshire country house buys Triqueti portrait sculpture of a scandalous Victorian heiress after successful fundraising campaign
31 July 2026A rare portrait sculpture of a scandalous Victorian heiress that sold at auction has been acquired by Buscot Park following a temporary export bar.
Iron man shows his auction mettle to set a new high for original comic book artwork
30 July 2026The image introducing Tony Stark’s superhero persona – Iron Man – has set an auction record.
Auction offers what is believed to be an account of the conquest of Mount Everest written by Sir Edmund Hillary for The Times
17 July 2026One of the most enduring and as yet unresolved questions in mountaineering and exploration is ‘who was the first man to stand on top of Mount Everest?’
Back to school: Westminster headmaster’s gold ring returns home after auction
17 July 2026A gold memorial ring will return home to Westminster School.
Eyewitness view of an Arctic expedition
17 July 2026Joseph Sherer entered the Royal Navy in 1811 aboard the Defiance. In 1819 he joined Hecla under Captain George Frederick Lyon taking part in Sir William Parry’s Arctic expeditions.
Cassandre black cat crops up as window card
17 July 2026A fine and rare example of Cassandre’s advertising work came up at Swann Auction Galleries (32/27/17% buyer’s premium) of New York.
Posters: Not one or even two or three but four classic Cassandres in a single UK sale
17 July 2026A specialist auction house in Dorset was able to offer an array of sought-after Art Deco French posters by the renowned designer AM Cassandre
Howard Terpning: the poster period
17 July 2026American artist Howard Terpning (b.1927) is regarded as a master of Western art, best known for his paintings of Native Americans which can sell at auction well into six figures.
Bicycle design reaching for the stars soars past guide to take $90,000
17 July 2026“During the 1890s, when bicycles were one of the most advertised products in the poster world, the fantastic concept that a bicycle was powerful enough to propel a rider into space was used surprisingly often.”
Maritime art follows medals in superb Pilalas collection on naval theme
17 July 2026Royal Navy subjects prominent in a white-glove sale at London saleroom Charles Miller
Posters promote the appeal of the Lancashire coast
17 July 2026Fortunino Matania (1881-1963) is renowned for his realistic depictions of the First World War, visiting the front line to see the scenes for himself, and historical and royal subjects.
Racquet wielded by ‘champion of the world’
10 July 2026A ‘real tennis’ racquet dating from the reign of King Louis XV of France, used by the first of the great players whose achievements are on record, is being served up at auction.
Bidders drawn to extensive single-owner offering of vintage carriages and kit
10 July 2026After moving to a farm at Cropton, North Yorkshire, over the next 25 years Ian David Smith assembled an extensive private collection of horse-drawn vehicles and associated items.
Snacks not meals on wheels served up by a vendor cart
10 July 2026This bespoke 19th century fairground steam-powered confectioner’s vendor cart, to make ice cream and popcorn, tempted bidders at John Rolfe (20% buyer’s premium) in Tetbury, Gloucestershire.