This is a very rare pencil-signed lithograph by Frank Brangwyn.
It was made in 1918 and is entitled "Watch on the Rhine / Greetings from the 9th Lancers"
There is a distant view of Cologne Cathedral in the distance - and one officer from the regiment is shown in the foreground looking over the landscape across the Rhine in its direction.
It is pencil signed by Brangwyn below, as photographed and it has a pencil inscription along the right-hand margin: which reads Japanese Paper for Proof... this side
Brangwyn was not an official war artist, nor did he go to the Front, but he was an outstanding artist of the Great War. He drew on his memories of the French and Belgian countryside together with his emotional response to the invasion of Belgium.
His war posters were designed to raise sympathy and support for the British and Allied Forces and victims of the Great War.
The paper is a very thin and fine Japanese sheet - and it seems to relate to other similar prints with text above and below a central image and made as posters or illustrations for the Daily Chronicle or for wartime propaganda images to encourage the purchase of War Bonds.
There are a number of proofs of posters for the Daily Chronicle in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. These were made to encourage the war effort. Perhaps this work was intended as a fundraising production to raise money to help the regiment of the 9th Lancers.
I have been unable to find another impression with this design on it - so perhaps Brangwyn only took this proof and then abandoned the publication of this work.
The sheet is loose and not laid down onto a backing sheet - the fine paper had been slightly wrinkled with light creasing - and I have had the sheet conserved so that it looks at its best. I have also had a new fresh window mount made for the print - and not framed so that you can see the pencil inscriptions by Brangwn in the margins below the mount. The lithograph is therefore in good antique condition as you can get and ready to be given a simple frame or kept in your print storage box.
Given the rarity of this work - it is priced accordingly. It might remain a unique impression from a lithographic stone and not issued by the artist. I would certainly welcome any feedback or further information about this interesting print if Brangwyn specialists wish to discuss it further.
I have taken lots of images of the work - so you can assess the work and its condition.
Dimensions: The mount size is 37.5 x 55 cm. The image size is 31 x 39 cm.
It is also interesting with regard to the history of the 9th Lancers. The 9th (Queen's Royal ) Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army - first raised in 1715, originally as a Dragoon Regiment. There are many photographs surviving showing the regiment crossing the Rhine Bridge and taking part in parades outside the main facade of Cologne Cathedral.
My print would be sent to you in the UK with Royal Mail Special Next Day Delivery. This will cost £10 and be fully insured and carefully packed in transit.