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
February 17
On this day in 1861 Princess Helena, Duchess of Albany was born, she later married Queen Victoria's youngest son Prince Leopold. In 1968, Donald Wolfit, Shakespearean actor who also appeared in the film 'Lawrence of Arabia', died of a heart attack aged 65
HÉLÈNE (Princess of Waldeck, 1861-1922, wife of Leopold, 1853-1884, 1st Duke of Albany, son of Queen Victoria)]
Fine Imperial cabinet photo by Mayall & Co signed and dated showing her seated with her children on either side of her, Princess Alice (Countess of Athlone, 1883-1981, Grand-daughter of Queen Victoria, wife of Prince Alexander of Teck, Queen Mary’s brother) is seated at the front looking straight at the camera and the Duchess is looking down at her young son Charles Edward (1884-1954, 2nd Duke of Albany, succeeded his Uncle, Queen Victoria’s son Alfred, as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1900) who does not look as if he is attending the the book which she has on her lap, 12” x 7½”, no place, 1893
WOLFIT (Sir Donald, 1902-1968, Actor-Manager)
Fine Autograph Letter Signed to Mr Gregory, saying he was “overwhelmed by your generosity ... Your letter alone is a joy but the edition is a beauty and one that I had not known before. It will stand on my shelf next to an edition of Volpone with the Beardsley illustrations given to me by Lord Keynes. The idea of the Bath Assembly sounds entrancing”, just before Keynes’s “tragic death we talked of doing the Davenant Macbeth in ’Bonnie Prince Charlie’ costume”, Wolfit believes that “garbled as it is, that version contains relics of Shakespeare scenes we have lost ... albeit what is left is still his greatest [tragedy]”, for the autumn season “Volpone and Richard are both under discussion, as are Cymbeline and Massingers ‘A New Way to pay Old Debts ... To serve these great plays is my sole ambition”, 3 sides 8vo., Garrick Club, 11th April 1958
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