An original press photo of Lady Clementine Churchill wearing an eyepatch, published on 1 September 1959
London: P.A. Reuter Photos Ltd., 1 September 1959. Photograph. This original press photo shows Lady Clementine Churchill wearing an eye patch following an operation for paralysis of the eyelid. This image measures 12 x 9.25 in (30.5 x 23.5 cm) on matte photo paper. Condition is good plus. The paper is trimmed slightly irregularly on the right side and has some edge wear, bruised corners, original crop markings, and some fingerprints and scratches at the top edge that appear to be original to the photo’s developing out. This image features original, hand-applied retouching to Lady Churchill’s face, hair, and clothes. The verso bears double copyright stamps of “P.A.-Reuter Photos Ltd.”, a published stamp of The Daily Telegraph from 1 September 1959, remnants of a typed caption, handwritten printing notations, and a clipping of the caption as it was printed in the newspaper. The original clipping caption reads: “LADY CHURCHILL, wearing a large patch over her right eye, returning to the Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, Sussex, yesterday, after lunching with Sir Winston at Chartwell, Kent. As a result of a severe attack of shingles, she underwent a minor operation at the hospital last week for paralysis of the eyelid.”
Clementine Churchill, nee Clementine Hozier, first met Winston at a ball in 1904, where he made a poor impression. In March 1908 she was placed next to Winston at a dinner party, where he apparently made a better impression; they married on 12 September 1908. Their marriage brought five children: Diana (b. 1909); Randolph (b. 1911); Sarah (b. 1914); Marigold (b. 1918); and Mary (b. 1922). To their lifelong marriage Clementine brought "a shrewd political intelligence. She supplied balance to Churchill at two levels: her more equable nature ensured that she moderated the depth of his depressions, and her good judgment helped to ward off political mistakes." (ODNB)
Winston Churchill's life and career were tumultuous and relentlessly eventful, so Clementine's married life was perhaps inherently not without stress, challenges, and sadness. Nonetheless, their marriage appears to have been a truly effective and intimate partnership. "Throughout their married life, even if separated for only a few days, Clementine and Winston wrote spontaneous and informal letters to one another, intimately affectionate in tone, using their pet names Pug and Kat and reinforced with appropriate animal drawings." (ODNB) ‘Marriage was her vocation’, said a newspaper leading article at her death. (The Times, 13 Dec 1977). Item #005353
Price: $30.00