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 16
On this day in 1786, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia was born in St. Petersburg to Paul I of Russia and his wife Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. Maria Pavlovna was raised at her father's lavish palaces at Pavlovsk and at the nearby Gatchina. She was the sister of Alexander I. On the same day in 1943 our Prime Minister Winston Churchill contracted pneumonia. His physical health had become more fragile during the war, as shown by a mild heart attack he suffered in December 1941 at the White House and also in December 1943 when he contracted pneumonia. Despite this, he travelled over 100,000 miles throughout the war to meet other national leaders.
CHURCHILL (Sir Winston Spencer, 1874-1965, Prime Minister) & his wife Clementine (1885-1977)
Superb photo signed by both showing them seated at a banquetting table either side of the Lady Mayor of Bath, Churchill is speaking to her and Clementine is leaning over to join the conversation, behind them stands a footmen and on the white tablecloth in front of them is the remains of their meal, coffee cups and an array of different wine glasses, 8½” x 6½”, no place, (Bath), no date, circa 1958
MARIA PAVLOVNA (1786-1859, daughter of Tsar Paul I, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach)
Letter signed ‘Marie GD de Russie et de Saxe’, to Madame de Miatlew, in French with translation, thanking her for “the constancy of your remembrance for me ... at each year’s renewal” and for sending “the court almanac ... My health is satisfactory, thank God, in spite of the new vexations it has pleased Providence to inflict on my family and me, and in spite of the rigours of winter”, with the assurance of her good wishes in return, 1 side 4to, Weimar, 31 January (Russian calendar) 12 February (Western calendar) 1845
Maria married Karl Friedrich, (1783-1853), from 1828 Grand Duke, in 1804. Mme de Miatlev may be the widow of the poet and courtier Ivan Petrovich, (1796-1844)
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