Every day Sophie Dupre presents two items from her large stock of signed photographs, autograph letters, autographs for sale, royal memoralbilia and antiquarian manuscripts.
The photographs are presented with the catalogue descriptions.
On this day... see what happened on your special day
November 25
ON THIS DAY
On this day in 1876 Princess Victoria Melita was born. She was the third child and second daughter of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia. She was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria as well as of Tsar Alexander II of Russia.
In 1965 Dame Myra Hess died at the age of 75. She was a pianist. Her debut came in 1907 when she played Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with Sir Thomas Beecham conducting. She went on to tour through Britain, the Netherlands and France. Upon her American debut she became a prime favourite in the United States, not only as a soloist, but also as a fine ensemble player. Hess garnered greater fame during the Second World War when, with all concert halls blacked out at night to avoid being targets of German bombers, she organised what would turn out to be almost 2,000 lunchtime concerts spanning a period of six years, starting during the London Blitz.
THE GRAND DUCHESS OF HESSE WITH HER DAUGHTER SHORTLY BEFORE THE PRINCESSES UNTIMELY DEATH
VICTORIA MELITA (1876-1936, wife of Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse and secondly Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovitch of Russia, granddaughter of Queen Victoria)
Fine poscard photo by Prof. E. Uhlenhuth in Coburg, signed on her long white dress, showing her three quarters length, standing next to a stool which her daughter Princess Elisabeth of Hesse is sitting on, resting her head on her mother’s shoulders, 5½” x 3½”, no place, postally used and postmarked Gotha, 22nd September 1903
38301
HESS (Dame Myra, 1890-1965, Pianist)
Fine portrait photo by Florence Vandamm, New York, signed “Myra” and inscribed “To dearest Blanche, your affectionate and insistent guest”, 9” x 7”, no place, (New York) no date, circa 1930, framed and glazed
31002
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