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If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the French military could feel pretty proud of itself. The dashing style and spirit of their forces in the 19th century often inspired other nations to create copycat units.

The murder of William Weare in the Hertfordshire village of Radlett in 1823 has been called the first trial by newspaper.

Two more London fairs are on the cards for next year.

A combination of artist, sitter, date and quality ensured a compelling Newlyn school portrait caught the eye at David Lay’s latest auction in Penzance.

According to family history, an Art Deco four-piece suite offered by Mander (20% buyer’s premium) in Sudbury on July 9 has an ocean-going history.

Items collected and meticulously recorded from the 1970s onwards by a trade couple had the attractions of ‘dealer’s choice’ provenances when offered at Hanson Holloway’s Ross (25% buyer’s premium).

Both categories are particularly notable as Mark and Marjorie Allen lots sell in Pennsylvania

Overseas interest in tribal art and Doulton Lambeth wares fuelled the higher prices at Cuttlestones’ (20% buyer’s premium) Penkridge sale but it was a new outbreak of cardomania which raised temperatures of collectors across England.

Gastronomy-themed books spanning five centuries were offered in a London auction.

A quick look at some recent events and objects on offer around the trade.

Works by Sir Kyffin Williams (1918-2006) generated a combined £221,640 at Rogers Jones’ latest Welsh Sale.

The first Michelin guide was published in 1900 by the eponymous tyre company.

As Sand, an Elizabethan house in east Devon which has been in the Huyshe family since 1560, is being sold for the first time in over 460 years, Chilcotts (21% buyer’s premium) dispersed much of the contents on July 16.