The Sir David Kirch Collection of Skit Notes

Birmingham Bank, No.31, Bull Street, an advertising note for ‘novelty & fashion’, promising to ‘cut any Lady or Gentleman’s Hair and make Ornamental Hair in a most Superior manner, also to keep for sale Foreign and British Perfumery of the best Qualities or forfeit the Sum of One Hundred Pounds’, 26 April 1924, serial number 31, signature of M. Elmore, a remarkable engraving of a the shop front at left, showing the building and window display in perfect and meticulous detail, very fine and very rare, one of the most beautiful skit notes the cataloguer has ever seen
Outing unlisted £200-£260

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Sir David Kirch Collection of Skit Notes.

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Collection

Michael Elmore was a highly successful hairdresser who maintained these premises at Bull Street for almost 50 years. He was wealthy enough to keep several servants and had seven children, although he outlived four of them, retiring in 1855 and dying in 1860. His probate was valued at £5000, a very large sum of money.

This note was engraved by Smith & Greaves in Birmingham to a very high standard. This partnership operated from at least 1820 until some time in the 1830’s, whereupon Greaves continued alone until the 1850’s. The standard of artistry, engraving and printing shown here is unusually high for a smaller printer of this period.