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CLEOPATRA’S NEEDLE COMES TO EXETER

A rare archive of Waynman Dixon, one of the people responsible for bringing Cleopatra’s Needle to London will be included in the forthcoming Quarterly auction to be held on 30th January at Hampton & Littlewood

Sited on the Thames embankment, Cleopatra’s Needle was made in Egypt for the Pharaoh Thotmes III in 1460 BC, making it some 3,500 years old.

The story of how it was brought to London from Alexandria, the Royal city of Cleopatra is contained within letters and a photographic album now to be offered for sale.

The idea of bringing the needle to London was as a memorial to Horatio Nelson and Sir Ralph Abercromby. Professor Erasmus Wilson subscribed some £15,000 to bring it over from Egypt but only if the scheme succeeded.

The photographic album charts the progress of the needle as it was lowered into a specially designed 93 foot long cigar shaped container ship with cabin, bilge keels, bridge and rudder riveted on, which actually floated!.

The needle made a steady journey to Britain but on October 14th 1877 disaster struck in storm force seas in the Bay of Biscay. With the Cleopatra in danger of sinking, the steam ship towing her, the Olga, sent six volunteers in a boat to take off the Cleopatra’s crew, but the boat was swamped and the volunteers drowned.

Eventually the Olga drew alongside and rescued the Cleopatra’s crewmen and skipper and cut the tow rope, leaving the Cleopatra adrift in the Bay of Biscay

With the benefit of superb Victorian engineering skills, the vessel of course remained afloat and was spotted some five days later floating peacefully off the Northern coast of Spain, although it did cost an additional £8,000 in salvage fees. It was towed to Falmouth and thence to the Embankment in London.

The archive of letters and photographs is expected to realise between £10,000 and £20,000.

For further information please contact Rachel Littlewood on (01392) 413100

Haute Couture in Devon

The archive of Madame Handley Seymour, the exclusive London dressmaker from the 1920’s to the 1940’s, with Royal appointments from Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, will be offered for sale in the quarterly fine sale to be held on 30th January 2008.

Amongst the items to be sold will be a calico dress toile of the Coronation robe for Queen Elizabeth to wear at her coronation on 12th May 1937, together with two copyright pencil sketches of the design. These carry a pre-sale estimate of £7,000 - £10,000

Also included is a diamond set bar brooch with E. R. cipher and a card inscribed ‘For Madame Handley Seymour with memories of many lovely dresses during the last twenty years – including my wedding dress and Coronation dress – from Elizabeth R’. The brooch in its original fitted case, together with the card are expected to fetch between £1,500 and £2,000

Amongst many interesting letters is one dated Sept 27 1926 Balmoral which states

‘Would you be very kind and look through my bill before it is sent to me this autumn, as I thought that a few items in the last one were rather too expensive. I think it would be a good thing if you would do this as my clothes have cost a terrible lot lately…..’. This three page manuscript letter is inviting bids between £150 and £250

There are several other interesting lots within this unique archive, a total of 11 lots, with a pre-sale estimate of £10,000 –  £12,000

Elizabeth Handley Seymour had her Atelier at 47 New Bond Street. She designed gowns for the Court and Society during the 1920’s, 1930’s and 1940’s. Included within the archive is a book of letters from those for whom she had designed costume including Anne Chamberlain, wife of Neville Chamberlain.

She also designed the dress and trousseau for the Duchess of York on the occasion of her wedding in 1923.