Cotmania. Vol. III. 1928-9

May 2. 1929. Motored with Miss Dora Bulwer to Brighton. Visited the antique shop of Stuart Acton. 12 Prince Albert Street. He has an album of drawings with a note in flyleaf: "This album was presented to Mrs Ebbett of Thorpe, by Norwich by M. E. Cotman in 1836. It contains sketches by his father as well as by Morland, Varley, and others." There are 50 to 60 drawings. No single drawing is certainly by J. S. C. A good many portraits on coloured paper in crayon by J. J. - one especially charming one of a boy - full length. Some bad pupils' drawing copies, 'Ponte Rotto' etc. Some sentimental landscapes in the Cotman manner on coloured paper.
There are some very elementary 'pot-hooky' drawings signed 'J. Varley, 1822' Evidently done to teach the young Miles Edward when Varley visited J. S. C. in his illness in 1822 (Dickes).
There is a copy of a Gainsborough on greenish paper (cf. my J. Geldart drawing) which Acton considers to be original, & thinks of sending it to Sotheby's! The 'Morlands' are rough sketches which may well be right. They are very like in style to J. S. C.'s earlier figure sketches.
Acton says he bought the album from the Ebbett family (& that they had 2 J. S. C. water colours with which they would not part) & sold it to a collector for 130£. The collector brought it back in some distress, saying that he had submitted it to an expert, who could see no J. S. C. in it.