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
May 08
On This Day
in 1660 the English parliament declared Charles Stuart to be King Charles II of England. His father, Charles I, had been executed in January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War. Although the Parliament of Scotland proclaimed Charles II King on 5 February 1649, England became a de facto republic, led by Oliver Cromwell. After being defeated by Cromwell at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 Charles spent the next nine years in exile. Cromwell's death in 1658 resulted in a political crisis and Charles was invited to return to Britain and restored to the throne. After 1660, all legal documents were dated as if he had succeeded his father as king in 1649.
In 1881 Henry Morton Stanley signed a contract with the Congolian monarch. He had been approached by King Leopold II of the Belgians, the ambitious Belgian monarch who had organized a private holding company in 1876 disguised as an international scientific and philanthropic association. The king had spoken of his intention to introduce western civilization and bring religion to that part of Africa, but did not mention the fact that he wanted to claim the lands.
RARE AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED WITH INITIALS
CHARLES II (1630-1685, King of Great Britain, restored 1660)
Autograph note in the King’s hand signed with initials “C.R.” to “My Ld of Bath”, Peter MEWS, (1619-1706, Bishop of Bath & Wells, 1672-1684, of Winchester from 1684), “pray goe imediatly and acquainte my Ld Tres: with what I have commanded you”, and on the other side an autograph note by the Bishop “I recd this the 24th March 1678/9 and the comand was that I should gett out of the way & not appear ... This note is writt wth ye knigs [sic] own hand”, on the back is Mews’ autograph endorsement “The kings note, 24 March 1678/9”, 2 sides 4to., no place, 24th March 1678 modern reckoning, 1679
37890
STANLEY (Sir Henry Morton, 1841-1904, Explorer who found Livingstone)
Fine long Autograph Letter Signed to Miss Felicie Hegemans, regretting “it has not been my good fortune to be able to pay a visit to the kindly, sympathetic & warm hearted people of Cadogan Gardens” including “yourself & the sister graces who did me the honor to escort me round Hampton”, as for “Mons. Hegemans”, he fears he will “never have the courage to pay a visit to a stranger, simply because I am on a visit to Anvers ... Even in London it is a difficult matter to get me out of my chambers”, however, “Your father is such a friend of Mons. Moscheles”, (Felix, 1833-1917), who lived in Cadogan Gardens and had recently painted Stanley’s portrait, and “I should look more to him to bring us together ... Should I be in Anvers it would be better for Mons Hegemans to call on me at my hotel ... it would not require much persuasion to induce me to accompany him to his House especially as the charming Miss Felicie would be there”, 4 sides 8vo., Balinakill, Clachan, Argyllshire, 9th July 1885, outer sides a trifle browned
56482
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