William Augustus Little founded his own auctioneering business, specializing in furniture, fine arts and general sales. This was not unusual except that Little had become James Lawson’s partner in March 1904. By October 1913, Lawson & Little was inviting people to provate viewings, at least for art collections. the partnership ended in September, 1915, however its fame endured. It was noted by journalists in 1920 that lawson has ‘set a fashion in second-hand sales, which Mr Little himself emulated’.

It is uncertain whether Little was still in business as an auctioneer when Lawson’s auctioned the collection of the firm’s former partner over two sales in November 1926. Little had become enamoured of Europe and decided to sell everything in Sydney and move there permantnetly. It was presumably because of his ex-partner’s reputation that Little chose to consign his collection to Lawson’s and not his own or another firm. The works auctioned show that many Australians were still primarily collecting European art and that selling without setting reserve prices was still quite common practice in art auctions in the early to mid twentieth century.

Max Lawson provided good copy for the newspapers at the Little auction. According to Smith’s Weekly:

It was all an essay in the complete art of salesmanship. No bludgeoning; but it was’nt safe to meet Lawson’s eye. No wheedling; but there was persuasion in every inflection of his voice. No fustian; but when he spoke of this ‘bit’ or that ‘piece’ not immediately to want it was to challenge the whole range of art values [and moreover] This last stage is accomplished so quickly, the inevitable impression is that the last bidder has got a bargain. Which again is salesmanship.

The Little collection realised £10,000, with the highest price (425 guineas) paid for an Australian work, Hans Heysen’s watercolour, The Farm on the Hill. Colour prints fared well at this sale and an illustrated catalogue was available for a small fee. The buyers were &lsquio;hard-headed dealers and knowledgeable amateurs&rsqui;, indicating that even in the 1920s, buyers at auction were generally either professionals or quite well educated laymen.

The above is extracted from Pedigree and Panache: A History of the Art Auction in Australia by Shireen Huda, Page 57.