Unexpected Collection

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by William McLaren
King Arthur welcomes the Green Knight into the Banqueting Hall and invites him to dismount and eat with the company. Everyone is amazed to see the unexpected visitor

Diver and Mermaid
A diver exploring a wrecked ship has an unexpected encounter

Nun on a skateboard, holding her arms out for balance. Date: circa 1970s

The Right Spirit by William Heath Robinson
Christmas is sure to be a success if one keeps smiling on all occasions. The right and seasonable way of behaving in an unexpected encounter

Nun on a bicycle in a playground. Date: circa 1970s

Henry Iv / Falstaff / Rebuke
Sir John Falstaff receiving a most unexpected rebuke from King Henry V. Act V Scene V

Market Reports Illustrated - Unexpected fruit supply cleared
Market Reports Illustrated - Fruit, an unexpected supply was rapidly cleared! A fallen basket of apples is swiftly cleared up by lucky pedestrians! Date: circa 1905

Animals / Giraffes
Lorenzo di Medici, ruler of Florence, receives an unexpected gift from Egypt

English Electric Canberra PR. 7 - PR. 9 prototype WH793
English Electric Canberra PR.7 (PR.9 prototype) WH793, at the 1955 SBAC Farnborough Air-show. A brand new PR.7 taken from the production line and converted by D. Napier and Sons Ltd

Beira, Mozambique - Private tram-car system
Beira, Mozambique - The private tram-car system - undoubtedly one of the most unusual forms of conveyance in the world. The cars ran on tiny tracks which rose out of the sand

Divers and Diving - 1. and 2. Primitive diving suits, 3. Wreck of the Royal George, from a contemporaneous print, 4. Awkward work, torpedo laying, 5. Electric lamp, 6. An unexpected plunge, 7

Kaiser Wilhelm II depicted in the role of Aladdin but instead of releasing a genie, he releases the spectre of death through his actions. Date: 1914

Comic postcard, Couple on the beach at night - theft of ice cream cornet Date: 20th century

Engraving by Sir John Gilbert, featured in The Illustrated London News in 1932 to show how the painter Richard Sickert used Gilberts engravings as the basis for a series of paintings he called

Comic postcard, Woman and boy outside a pub Date: 20th century

The Unexpected Rencontre by John Gilbert Date: C.1860

Sprouts has unexpected customers - shop interior. 19th century

THE FAMILYS RETURN
THE UNEXPECTED RETURN Servants giving a party are disturbed when Master and Mistress come home sooner than expected (scene from a play, Les Cuisinieres)(the cooks) Date: 1823

Four Queens on a Jack - Four Women riding a donkey. Date: circa 1905

Wet nurse feeds baby using a goat
A Cuban wet nurse feeds a baby in her care using the milk from a goat, who is actively participating in the exchange! 1907

Elephant and circus arriving on a New Year card
A little boy on a donkey meets an elephant and circus arriving -- We know not what is coming in the New Year. Date: circa 1890s

Beira, Mozambique - Private tram-car system
Beira, Mozambique - The private tram-car system - undoubtedly one of the most unusual forms of conveyance in the world. The cars ran on tiny tracks which rose out of the sand

Turkestan - One man riding a bull and two on a donkey! Date: circa 1909

Le Beouf a la Mode Restaurant - 8, Rue de Valois Paris - since 1792 (the approximate date of this image) Date: circa late 18th century

People in a park with a friendly goat
Unusual Friends - people in a park receive an unexpected visit from a friendly goat. 1950s

The unexpected meeting. 18th century

An Almanack of Old Time Sport
An Unexpected Encounter. Illustration from An Almanack of Old Time Sport. Date: 1903

Notes on Etiquette - Greeted with a Kiss. Nothing more readily conduces to a pleasant visit than a kindly, hearty greeting. Date: 1908

Court of Serendip
At the court of Serendip (an old name for Sri Lanka) whose princes continually made happy but unexpected discoveries, according to Horace Walpole. Hence serendipity

Nun with a man in a pub. Date: circa 1970s

Nun playing on a fruit machine. Date: circa 1970s

White bulldog thrown into the water by a bull in a field
A white bulldog is thrown over a hedge into the water by a bull in a field. Date: 1905

White bulldog thrown into the air by a bull in a field
A white bulldog is thrown into the air by a bull in a field. Date: 1905

Sicily - Ancient Quarries at Campobello
Black and white Victorian lantern slide of the ancient quarries at Campobello. Two men sit on the Rocks of Cusa, stone that was once used to construct the Greek Selinunte temple

WW2 safety poster, Don t Take Risks, Take Care. Use a ladder to top bins or the unexpected is just what is to be expected! Design by Victor Hicks. Date: 1940s

Mobile Department Store in Cuba
A mobile One-man Department Store arrives on a housewifes doorstep - Havana, Cuba. Date: 1910s

Two scruffy street boys discuss lowering of income tax
Joyful News. " Ow, I sy Billie, Fader says there ll be a penny off de income-tax nex Year." Date: 1895

Drunk writer refuses tract from a benevolent lady - Irony
Drunk refuses temperance tract from a benevolent lady, unaware that her sizzled target was actually the author of the aforementioned words of wisdom - wonderfully ironic cartoon by Phil May

Auguste, the First Elephant ever born in France
First Elephant ever born in France - named Auguste - on 5th August 1936 at Douai. Baptised with Champagne by the unlikely combination of pachyderm Admirers, Maurice Chevalier and Josephine Baker!!

A Christmas Card featuring a Mosque
A quite bizarre Christmas Card featuring a Mosque (the Ayasofya in Istanbul, Turkey)! The creator seemingly failed to attend a How to cut an accurate oval course....!!! Date: circa 1910s

Nulli Secundus over Crystal Palace after meeting headwinds on the return journey to Farnborough from London. It was seriously damaged after unexpected gales on the night of 5 October 1907. Date: 1907

Nulli Secundus moored on the running track at Crystal Palace after meeting headwinds on the return journey to Farnborough from London

An unexpected challenge

Business Notes Illustrated - Receiving an Unexpected Rise A Gentleman is accidently lifted aloft by a warehouse crane outside a warehouse. Date: circa 1909

A Flimsy Excuse
A red-haired young thing wearing the skimpiest of red lingerie is shocked at the arrival of an unexpected visitor. Her dignity is little preserved by the thinest of see through drapes

Cedar Stump Residence, Oregon, USA Date: circa 1905

Plentiful crop of Babies - Utah, United States
A plentiful crop of Babies from Utah, United States. Date: 1906

Camels pull harvester - Southern Russia
Camels used as draft animals to pull American Harvesting machines, in use on the Russian Steppes of the Caucasus region

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