For hundreds of years the pace of life has been dictated by the speed of the horse. Now Motor Cars and Motorcycles are roaring along the dirt roads shattering the silence.
Centuries of Naval dominance is brought into question when Louis Bleriot's aeroplane 'hops over the top of the British Fleet' and crosses the English Channel for the first time in 1909. Soon thousands of ordinary people are taking a £5 ride up in an aeroplane at the many Air shows that quickly spring up across Europe.
People genuinely scream in fear and many faint the first time they see 'Moving Pictures' at the theatre.
The thrill people have talking on the telephone for the first time is hard to imagine.
Newspapers spread the news quickly. Today's disaster is tomorrow's Newspaper headline.
Social and Political change is also in the air. The working class in the Industrial Towns and Cities wants Saturday as well as Sunday off! 
The Suffragette Movement is gaining strength. Militancy is increasing and so are the numbers being imprisoned. The future of 'equal rights' is far from certain.
The drumbeat of War in Europe is still far ahead in the distance but time does pass and War will come. And it won't be over by Christmas.

History is just people doing stuff. Small stuff. Big stuff.
Sometimes we're lucky and these events are captured in time and space in drawings and paintings. Art and history collide when an artist picks up their pen or brush.
We have the ability today to go online and buy 1000's of modern pictures of the Titanic or a WW2 Spitfire, but If you want a Titanic picture painted in the year She went down or a Spitfire picture drawn during the Summer of the Battle of Britain you will struggle to find one in the whole of the UK. Apart from here.

Signed and dated artworks become historical documents recording specific moments in time. The artist capturing an aerial dogfight in a drawing during the Battle of Britain in 1940 was unsure of the final outcome but very aware of the German invasion that would follow should the RAF be defeated. That creates a very powerful back story to the picture.
Dated pieces allow us to connect with the scene an artist captures. We can sit by  their side for a moment in time. The artist's on this Site are obviously relevant if usually unknown but it is the subject matter and the date that give a picture on this Site both a historical value and a financial value.
The quality of the picture is always important but for myself I would usually prefer an earlier piece that was slightly marked or stained over a later piece in better condition.
For me it's always about the date! 

Antique paper is more susceptible to staining and foxing than modern paper. In my opinion small marks and stains don't detract from the piece but instead act as provenance to their age, rather like furniture of the same age would be expected to have dents and scratches.
I will always put any marks, stains or blemishes in the description so that you can make your own decision on whether the condition is acceptable to you.

I've always collected pictures but I saw a 1911 biplane picture for sale about 12 years ago and I thought to myself 'I know that's really early but how early is it? when did the Wright Brothers fly'?
So I did my research. I'm a history fanatic so the research into every picture is a pleasure not a chore. The Wright Brothers first flew in 1903 in the USA and Louis Bleriot crossed the English Channel in 1909 for the first time so I knew it was a very early and rare picture. I bought it. Then a Suffragette picture. Then a Police picture. 

I knew straight away it was these kinds of rare historical pictures that I wanted to collect. I knew I had found my niche in the wider art world of picture collecting and so I became a 'Picture hunter'.
My Brother Chris has been an invaluable friend and companion on the collecting journey so cheers Chris, it's been a lot of fun and the journey continues. He knows (almost!) as much as me about the pictures and will answer the phone if I'm not available.
Before you know it 12 years goes by and the Collection continues to grow.

It was my aim to set up the finest online Gallery of its kind in the UK offering only the rarest and most unique original historical pictures for sale. Others will judge better than me how close I get to that goal. I hope you enjoy the Site.

With my very best regards,

Jon Rounce.