Product Details
* A COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS, PUBLICATIONS AND EPHEMERA RELATING TO CECIL RHODES AND SIR THOMAS SMARTT,
including Smartt's personal copy of the privately published rare volume 'The Late Right Honourable Cecil John Rhodes', subtitled 'Doctor of Civil Laws, Member of H.M. Privy Council, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Cape Colony' and 'A Chronicle of The Funeral Ceremonies From Muizenberg to the Matappos (sic), March-April 1902', by the Cape Times Ltd, 1905 (cover with stains, some foxing), a large scrapbook containing newspaper cuttings regarding the death and funeral arrangements of Sir Thomas Smartt (some loose), a group of original photographs of Rhodes's and Smartt's own funeral courteges and burials, a 1963 reprint from the Central African Journal of Medicine titled 'Rhodes and the Doctors' by J. Charles Shee detailing Rhodes's diagnosis with pulmonary tuberculosis and his subsequent dealings with South African doctors, a leather cased oval photograph of Rhodes in a gilt metal frame with stand (glass cracked), a hand drawn diagram of the Rhodes funeral arrangements (very fragile), a small manila envelope dated March 22 1902 containing a lock of Cecil Rhodes hair, a further print of a photograph of Rhodes mounted on board, and a negative of a photograph of Smartt and others at the grave of Rhodes in Bulawayo.
Provenance: Dr (later Sir Thomas) Smartt was an Irishman deeply immersed in Cape politics. He was a warm friend and supporter of Dr L.S. Jameson and through him became friendly with Rhodes. He and his wife were frequent visitors at Groote Schuur and Mrs Smartt was indeed one of the few woman that Rhodes really liked.
When Dr and Mrs Smartt's eldest daughter, Gwendoline Ann, was christened in 1896, Dr Jameson was made her Godfather. When their younger daughter, Lorna Sybil, born on 18 July 1898 was christened in St. Georges Cathedral on 28 September of that year, Cecil Rhodes was present at the service and insisted on not only being a Godfather but that she carry his name as well. She was therefore christened Lorna Sybil Rhodes Smartt although her birth certificate only shows her as Lorna Sybil. The record of the christening that was obtained by the vendor from Carol Archibald of the Historical papers department of the William Cullen Library at the University of the Witwatersrand shows the Godfathers as Cecil John Rhodes and Graves Chamney Swan and the Godmothers as Lilian Philpott and Sybilla Frances Stoney. Dr Smartt was at that time Colonial Secretary in Sir Gordon Sprigg's ministry.
When Rhodes became ill in February 1902 and was confined to his bed at his Muizenberg Cottage, he was attended to by Dr L. S. (later Sir Leander Starr) Jameson, Dr Smartt and Dr Edmund (later Sir Edmund) Sinclair Stevenson. The three doctors stayed with Rhodes continually, cat napping between relieving each other till the end came on 26 March 1902. Dr Smartt was responsible for making the plaster of Paris cast shortly after death that the "death mask" of Rhodes was made from and which is now preserved at the Cape Town University.
Dr Smartt was one of the principal pall bearers at Rhodes' funeral and accompanied the body from Cape Town to the Matopos.
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Estimate £500-800 € 555-888