Excuse Collection

The latecomers, c1914. Creator: Albert Guillaume
The latecomers, c1914

ASCOT 1910
Black Ascot - due to the recent death of Edward VII, racegoers at Ascot dress in black, though for most ladies this is no more than the excuse to buy a new dress

WWI Poster, Enlist Today (Welsh version)
WWI Parliamentary Recruiting Committee Poster, Be honest with yourself. Be certain that your so-called reason is not a selfish excuse. (Lord Kitchener) Enlist Today (Welsh version). Date: 1916

"Don't Panic, Darling, I'm Just Minding Her Until the Police Can Find Her Mum" (colour litho)
8656957 "Don't Panic, Darling, I'm Just Minding Her Until the Police Can Find Her Mum" (colour litho) by English School

8626005

forgive me
Alejo Gonzalez

Le Terrible Régisseur, 1864. Creator: Honore Daumier
Le Terrible Regisseur, 1864. The scary stage manager. - Comment vous me dites que vous avez manque la repetition au jour d'hui parceque vous avez pose des sangsues a votre mere?

Le Mari du bas-bleu... 1842. Creator: Honore Daumier
Le Mari du Bas-Bleu, 1842. Monsieur, ma femme est inspiree depuis ce matin: impossible de la voir, je suis comme vous voyez oblige de prodiguer mes soins au dernier ouvrage

Est-il permis de revenir de Bercy dans un état pareil.. 1843. Creator: Honore Daumier
Est-il permis de revenir de Bercy dans un etat pareil.. 1843. - Est-il permis de revenir de Bercy dans un etat pareil...un homme etabli...que je suis malheureuse mon Dieu!

Le Médecin et la garde malade, 1840. Creator: Honore Daumier
Le Medecin et la garde malade, 1840. Comment va le malade? Helas Monsieur, il est mort ce matin a six heures! Ah! il est mort le gaillard! Il n'a donc pas pris ma potion

Black Ascot 1910
Black Ascot, King Edward VII, who was a great supporter of racing, died shortly before the event. It was deemed appropriate that the races be conducted in mourning

Return of the Prodigal Son, c. 1650 (oil on canvas)
7352688 Return of the Prodigal Son, c.1650 (oil on canvas) by Wael, Cornelis de (1592-1667); 227x265 cm; Private Collection; (add.info.: Artist)

Directors meeting tonight (colour litho)
2800779 Directors meeting tonight (colour litho) by American School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Directors meeting tonight. Postcard, early 20th century.); © Look and Learn

Awfully sorry, I can t get to the office today (chromolitho)
2800645 Awfully sorry, I can t get to the office today (chromolitho) by Browne, Tom (1872-1910); Private Collection; (add.info.: Awfully sorry, I can t get to the office today)

Comic postcard, Drunken husband arrives home Date: 20th century

Comic postcard, Drunken batsman who saw three balls Date: 20th century

Comic postcard, Man sees a pretty woman on arrival at the seaside. Just arrived. Excuse scribble. I ve got something in my eye! Date: 20th century

WW2 era - Comic Postcard - Coupon shortage and making do
The long Caption gives the little girls excuse for having patches. The Home Front War Effort was helped along by cryptic slogans such as Make do and Mend and Making do

British recruitment poster, WW1
British recruitment poster, First World War -- Have you a reason, or only an excuse, for not enlisting NOW! 1914-1918

Under the Mistletoe, any old excuse (litho)
1090704 Under the Mistletoe, any old excuse (litho) by Robinson, William Heath (1872-1944); Private Collection; (add.info.: Under the Mistletoe, any old excuse)

The spy child: A child throws himself at his father
PCT4824100 The spy child: A child throws himself at his fathers feet in anger to ask for forgiveness (strong water, 1899) by Marie

Young boy caught by his mother stealing jam from the store cupboard (colour litho)
6000006 Young boy caught by his mother stealing jam from the store cupboard (colour litho) by Browne, Tom (1872-1910); Private Collection; (add.info)

Got A Bad Attack Of The Influenza (chromolitho)
2816126 Got A Bad Attack Of The Influenza (chromolitho) by Browne, Tom (1872-1910); Private Collection; (add.info.: Got A Bad Attack Of The Influenza)

Father works late at the office (colour litho)
2815984 Father works late at the office (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Father works late at the office. Mothers trials)

"Sir, "said Prince Bahman, "We beg your majesty to excuse us"(engraving)
5991810 " Sir, " said Prince Bahman, " We beg your majesty to excuse us" (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: " Sir)

Steward, from a series entitled Country Characters, 1799 (etching with w / c)
XCF290988 Steward, from a series entitled Country Characters, 1799 (etching with w/c) by Rowlandson, Thomas (1756-1827); 23x17 cm; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, CA, USA; English

The General Election - An Enthusiastic Supporter
Comic Postcard series - The General Election - An Enthusiastic Supporter rolling-in after a hearty session of seemingly liquid-based campaigning!! 1908

Presenting excuses to the flag, Toulon, France, 1898. An illustration from Le Petit Journal, 11th December 1898

WWI Poster, Have you a reason or only an excuse?
WWI Parliamentary Recruiting Committee Poster, Which? Have you a reason or only an excuse for not enlisting? Now! Date: 1915

Telegram excuse sent by husband to disguise affair
Telegram excuse sent by an older man to his wife to disguise the affair he is having with his young Secretary. Date: 1909

Second pretext new oxen Van d Inrydingh Iesu
Second pretext: the new oxen Van d Inrydingh Iesu, and some histories based on consistency (series title) Parable of the royal wedding party (series title) Den Grooten Figuer-Bibel ()

First pretext new Van d Inrydingh Iesu field
First pretext: the new Van d Inrydingh Iesu field, and some histories of success (series title) Parable of the royal wedding (series title) Den Grooten Figuer-Bibel (...) (series title)

Excuse Me adapted by Herbert C. Sargent from an American farce of the same title by Rupert Hughes, which was first performed in England at the Garrick Theatre on 6th March 1915

Cartoon, Henry Irving and Edward, Prince of Wales -- an invitation to Marlborough House. Irving says: The fact is, I am so pestered with invitations to dinner, that you really must excuse me! 1883

Anti-Suffrage Cartoon Portrait
Cartoon of lady showing a portrait of a suffragette to John Bull who, unimpressed, remarks, You will excuse me if I laugh, wont you? Date: 1911

Cartoon, Art in 1916, WW1
Cartoon, Art in 1916. A sitter comments to her artist that his latest portrait doesn t look at all like her. He replies that the war is to blame! Date: 1916

Cartoon, The right way, WW1
Cartoon, The right way. An old soldier chats to other old soldiers in the square of a French town. They are all too old to enlist in the war

Lord Kitchener Enlist Today
Be Honest with Yourself. be Certain that your So-Called Reason is Not a Selfish Excuse Lord Kitchener. Enlist Today. Poster

Which. An Excuse - for Not Enlisting Now
Which have you a Reason - or only an Excuse - for Not Enlisting Now !. Poster

Three Tahitian Women 1896 Oil wood 9 5 / 8 x 17
Artokoloro

Noa'l Le Mire after Jean-Michel Moreau (French, 1724 - 1801), Il en est navra
Jean Jacques Le Veau after Jean-Michel Moreau (French, 1729 - 1785), J ai tort, mon cher Valašre, et t en demande excuse, 1782, etching and engraving

Young boy admonished for fishin on the Sabbath
Clergyman - " My Boy, do you know its wicked to fish on the Sabbath?" Youngster - " I isn t fishing; I m teachin this ere wurm ter swim." Date: 1895

Honour is saved... caricature of the bourgeoisie by Albert Guillaume. But you, Madame, you have no one at the frontja Oh Excuse me, I have my chauffeur.... From Le Flambeau, Paris, September 1915

Harold II (c1020-1066) last Anglo-Saxon king of England (1066): Harold swearing an oath on sacred relics (c1064) before William of Normandy to support his claim to the English throne on death of

Everybody does it - the national excuse. Illustration shows a large circle of men, each lifting from the pocket of the man in front of him The Other Mans Money as they march around a large map

Boys as Policemen
Erm, excuse me Missus, ain t we supposed to be arresting you? Two boys dressed up as policemen look perturbed when an old lady with a whistle starts to jot in her notepad. Date: 1960s

A childs bathtime. By A. E. Bestall
Child (hearing knock at the door): If you come in, Uncle, you must excuse me being all pink! A bathtime scene depicting a mother bathing her young daughter

Duc De Bourgogne
The people of Ghent aren t all that fond of their master, the duc de Bourgogne, but when he gives birth to an heir they are happy enough to celebrate - any excuse for a party !

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"Excuse: A Reflection of Society's Justifications and Regrets" In the year 1910, amidst the grandeur of Ascot, a society grappled with its own excuses. As World War I loomed on the horizon, a powerful poster urged men to enlist today, even in its Welsh version. The Black Ascot of that same year cast shadows over an era filled with uncertainty. The war propaganda persisted as another compelling poster questioned individuals: "Have you a reason or only an excuse?" It seemed that excuses were becoming prevalent in every aspect of life. Even centuries earlier, Rembrandt's masterpiece "Return of the Prodigal Son" depicted forgiveness sought through remorseful pleas. Yet not all apologies were sincere; infidelity stained relationships like a vivid color lithograph. Meanwhile, directors convened for meetings under colorful lithographs' watchful eyes - perhaps discussing their own justifications behind closed doors. However, history also revealed darker sides to humanity's excuses. In 1870, a chilling wood engraving titled "The New Plea for Murder" exposed how some twisted minds could justify heinous acts. And yet lighter moments emerged in chromolithos and comic postcards depicting humorous scenarios - from drunken husbands stumbling home to batsmen seeing three balls after one too many drinks. Amidst these snapshots into human behavior stood one constant truth: Excuses had become woven into our social fabric. They ranged from trivial matters like being unable to reach the office due to unforeseen circumstances (as portrayed in Awfully sorry. . ) to more complex situations involving temptation and desire (as seen in Comic postcard featuring seaside encounters). Ultimately, this collection of images spanning time showcased how excuses have shaped our lives throughout history - sometimes serving as shields against responsibility while other times revealing our vulnerabilities or seeking redemption. As we reflect upon these glimpses into human nature captured by artists across different eras and mediums, let us question our own excuses.