[King George VI & Queen Elizabeth]

signed

The photograph of King George VI was taken by Hugh Cecil (Hugh Cecil Saunders), circa 1942, (see National Portrait Gallery Collection ref NPG x71198).

Hugh Cecil Suanders (1899 - 1974) was educated at Tonbridge School and Queen's College Cambridge where he became interested in photography. He served as an apprentice with the Sevenoaks photographer H. Essenhigh Corke and moved to London in 1912, setting up as a portrait photographer under the professional name of Hugh Cecil. His photographs appeared regularly in the Sketch and Tatler. His early style was characterised by an elegant simplicity. The Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) sat for him in 1925, the first of many royal sittings. Cecil's pupils included Paul Tanqueray and Angus McBean.

This photograph, of Queen Elizabeth (later styled 'The Queen Mother') was taken by Wilding on 12 January 1937 (see National Portrait Gallery Collection ref NPG P870(4).

Dorothy Wilding (1893-1976) was a British photographer from Gloucester and the first female royal photographer. After studying alongside the photographer Marian Neilson she opened her own studio in 1914 and another in New York in 1937. She started photographing the Royal Family in 1928 and would proceed to photograph King George VI and his family, at his Coronation and produce the first image of Queen Elizabeth II for the Royal Mail stamps.

Two black & white photographic prints, one of King George VI by Hugh Cecil, signed and dated by the King, published by Raphael Tuck and Sons, the other of Queen Elizabeth by Dorothy Wilding, also signed and dated by the Queen, (no publisher indicated); the former, age-toned, with some horizontal fold creases but otherwise very good, the latter with only a a few very faint creases, otherwise very good-plus, both still without any oxidisation or spotting and the signatures still strong, probably as a result of being stored for many years, out of strong sunlight; images sizes: 495 c 350 mm; modern mount and silver-gilt frames to match, with Anti-UV glass, size: 680 x 540 mm.

Cf. National Portrait Gallery.