Charles Martinignette (1950-2008), the former owner of this piece, arguably had the best collection of popular art ever. He had over 4300 pieces, largely grails and it is predicted that it will take over two years to liquidate it at a predicted price of over $20 million. If I ever sell it, it will be labeled "Ex Martignette".
Even though Heritage placed this in the 1920's, I figured that it was a magazine or book illustration from the early 1890's based on hourglass heavy dress popular in the 1880's and the puff sleeves of the 1890's. I'm sure I've seen that style and that signature. .
Update: This is from The Master of the Craft: The Inside Story of a Great Scheme, according to the period sources. Google, and others have it as "A Master of Craft: The Story of a Great Plot", a dime novel published in 1898 (I had the right decade, and it might have been a flashback illustration), which was also serialized in The Daily Telegraph. The Author, Seward W. Hopkins wrote at least 21 books, a ton of stories for Argosy from the 1890's until he died in 1919. He even wrote a silent movie, just before his death. No further information about the artist has turned up. This is a surprisingly classy illustration for a cheapie potboiler.
The margins are very rough, not surprising for a piece over 110 years old, but, as you see the art is not affected significantly. I have it displayed with a homemade matt and it looks gorgeous. It has some cryptic printer notes and the following partially broken off dialogue written longhand in pencil: "(Let) me see, what title would be striking? I tell you Lord Dare!...Lord Dare, of Dare Court England. In this... (Inst) (of) 4th Master of the Croft." The words I'm not certain of are in parentheses. The elipses show where the board is broken off, deleting some of the writing.
