Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs (428) Wed, 28th Jan 2015, Edinburgh Lot 270 Estimate: £2500 - £3500 + Fees J.M. Barrie interest - Sylvia Llewelyn Davies memorial album by Lizzie Caswall Smith Album of 54 copy prints relating to Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, the Llewelyn Davies children and J.M. Barrie, prints between c.23x18.5 and 5x5cm in size, 8 of the prints are copies of paintings and drawings, whilst the remainder are copies of photographs, all mounted in calf album with stamp of Lizzie Caswall Smith, Gainsborough Studios, 309, Oxford Street, to final page, no date given Provenance: Possibly Crompton and Moya Llewelyn Davies, brother and sister-in-law to Arthur Llewelyn Davies, Sylvia's husband and father of the Llewelyn Davies children. An accompanying letter from Bulmer's Cider Makers, dated 1911, thanks Crompton for help he has offered to 'the widow', whose identity is unknown. Likewise, an accompanying cheque from the National Bank Limited, dated 1911, is signed by Moya Llewelyn Davies. Neither document references the album, however. Note: Sylvia Jocelyn Llewelyn Davies, 1866-1910, née Sylvia Du Maurier, was the daughter of George Du Maurier and the aunt of the novelist Daphne Du Maurier. She married Arthur Llewelyn Davies in 1892 and the couple had five sons: George, Jack, Peter, Michael and Nicholas (Nico). Sylvia Llewelyn Davies is best known for being the 'mother of Peter Pan'. In fact, the entire family can be seen as character models for Peter Pan, the 'Lost Boys' and the Darling family. J.M. Barrie met Sylvia Llewelyn Davies at a dinner party in 1898, and during the course of the meal, realised that he had met her sons whilst walking his dog in Kensington Gardens. The pair formed a close friendship and, when Arthur Llewelyn Davies died in 1906, Barrie supported Sylvia both emotionally and financially. Tragedy struck the family again in 1910, when Sylvia died of cancer. Before her death, Sylvia appointed guardians to care for the children, including her mother and J.M. Barrie. By this point, Barrie was a well-established household name, having written Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens in 1906. Andrew Birkin writes, "...the bizarre story of 'Barrie and his Lost Boys', and their inevitable parallel with Peter Pan, made excellent fodder for society gossip and speculation." Peter Llewelyn Davies was teased mercilessly during his schooldays at Eton for being 'the real Peter Pan', and later dubbed Barrie's work 'that terrible masterpiece'. Barrie and others had taken various photographs of the family. It also seems that Barrie made several copies of a memorial album for Sylvia Llewelyn Davies following her death, which were issued to members of the family. An album held by the National Portrait Gallery in London is almost identical to this copy, apart from an inscription from Barrie to the recipient. The National Portrait Gallery's copy has an accompanying letter, in which Barrie mentions that he made several copies of the album for friends and family members. Although lacking an inscription, the album for sale could be one of these, given to Crompton and Moya Llewelyn Davies. It is also known that the photographer Lizzie Caswall Smith made various sepi-toned platinotype copies of the Llewelyn Davies family photographs. It is Smith's stamp which features on the final page of both this album, and the copy belonging to the National Portrait Gallery. Copies of photographs and drawings include: The 'memorial album' title plate, depicting Grove House - the Du Maurier family home in Hamstead, with the photographed signatures 'Sylvia Llewelyn Davies' and 'Sylvia Du Maurier'; Sylvia Llewelyn Davies drawn by George Du Maurier, c.1885; Sylvia and Arthur Llewelyn Davies holding Peter as a baby, 1897; Various photographs taken at L'Hostellerie de Guillaume le Conquérant, Dives, France, April 1905; Sylvia Llewelyn Davies playing tennis at Cudlow House, Rustington, 1906; Sylvia Llewelyn Davies fishing in the River Dart near Postbridge, September 1909 (thought to be the last known photograph of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies; and many others. Crompton and Moya Llewelyn Davies (née O'Connor) are also notable in their own right. Whilst Crompton acted as an election agent for David Lloyd George, Moya was the daughter of an Irish member of parliament and had family links to the 1798 Irish Rebellion. The couple were friends with George Bernard Shaw and Sir John Lavery, amongst others. In 1921, Moya was jailed for her involvement in Irish republican affairs and is rumoured to have had an illicit relationship with Irish revolutionary leader, Michael Collins. .