possibly Heneage Finch, Earl of Aylesford, London and Packington Hall, Warwickshire (1786-1859); William Amhurst Tyssen Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst of Hackney, Didlington Hall, Norfolk (1835 - 1909) [written on Witt's index card with a ?; perhaps Witt thought the mark on the recto was L.58, though it appears it is not]; Puttick & Simpson (London); purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), n.d (10 shillings); Witt Bequest 1952

Blunt, Anthony, Hand-list of the drawings in the Witt Collection, London, 1956
p. 54

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Inscription: Recto: lower left, black chalk, signed: “JWD. RA”. Verso (only visible via transmitted light): whole sheet, printed in black ink: “INTRODUCTION / the following SKETCHES, in imitation of Chalk Drawings, are, with great deference, submitted to the public by JAMES / WARD. Their merit, he has no doubt, will be candidly and indulgently decided upon. But as it is always extremely dif- / ficult to procure attention to the productions of those who have been but little accustomed to publish, J. WARD is peculiarly / happy in having an opportunity in his power of recommending his work, by instancing the reputation the world has already / established for him, in their lavish encouragement of a set of prints, published by Mr. SIMPSON, under the title of Sketches, by / different Masters, which J. WARD now, for the first time, declares were his designs, and sold by him to Mr. SIMPSON, who / chose to conceal the name of the real artist, and substitute a more general mode, probably to induce a better sale of the work. / J. WARD has the satisfaction of gathering this conclusion from his present mode of publication that as the Sketches published / by Mr. SIMPSON were made at a time when J. WARD had less experience than he boasts at present, as they were brought / out without the advantage of being engraved by their original designer, and consequently could not have been executed with / the same spirit and mind that would have been the case had so favourable a circumstance attended them, the pretentions of / the present production to public commendation seem to be of a more solid nature than those Sketches of his which came out in / the imperfect state already noticed, but yet, which received such uncommon encouragement. / Ease and utility have, in these Sketches, been J. WARD’S principal study. The objects are familiar and obvious. / Their forms are delineated with the most perfect simplicity, and he did not venture to draw any parts of the various animals, till he / had given the subject a correct anatomical observation: which added to the advantage of their appearing exactly like Chalk / Drawings, (a circumstance which will make it uncommonly easy for the most inexperienced scholar to copy them) and again, / the reasonable price of which they are offered to the public, give him lively hopes that his exertion will attract their attention, / and claim their encouragement. / J. WARD, however, after all, is perfectly conscious that his success must depend on his merit. If, by his care and / assiduity, it should be found that he has offered a meritorious work to the public, that public, as they always do upon such / occasions, will kindly foster every rising endeavour, and amply reward his industrious labours, if not, no colour he can give / his pretentions will be found artful enough to mislead their judgment, or to elude their penetration.”

Collector's mark: Recto: lower left, stamped in black: a circle stamped indistinctly so that the inner contents are illegible and thus unidentifiable; does not match L.58 as perhaps indicated by Sir Robert Witt on his index card.