Description:

Edward VIII of England King



Duke and Duchess of Windsor Signed Photo, Visit to Wartime Seamen's Convalescent Home

 

8" x 10" glossy black and white official photograph of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor autographed by them as "Edward, Duke of Windsor" and "Wallis, Duchess of Windsor" respectively in black felt-tip pen. Stamped "United Seamen's Service, Inc. / 39 Broadway, New York, N.Y. / Whitehall 3-2500" verso, and with original press release typed on onionskin attached verso. Expected light superficial wear, else near fine. Accompanied by an original mailing envelope postmarked November 21, 1970 from Neuilly-sur-Seine, where the ex-royal couple lived.

 

The photograph shows the former Edward VIII (1894-1972), carefully dressed in a double-breasted suit complete with striped tie and checkered pocket square, to the left of Wallis Simpson (1896-1986), the latter wearing a Juliet style white cap, double-strand pearl choker, 3/4 length white gloves, and a short-sleeved and belted dress decorated with the repeating phrase "gin rummy."

 

The attached caption verso reads: "Gladstone, N.J. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor giving their autographs to John Cullin, merchant seaman water tender who has been repeatedly bombed and torpedoed at sea, and receiving from him a hand-tooled leather scrapbook which he made himself at the rest center for merchant seamen operated at Gladstone, N.J., by United Seamen's Service in cooperation with the War Shipping Administration. The Duke and Duchess, guests of Mrs. C. Suydam Cutting, paid a Memorial Day visit to the Center on May 31. Mrs. Cutting has turned the premises over to merchant seamen for the duration of the war."

 

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor frequently visited the United States while Edward served as Governor of the Bahamas between 1940-1945. While Edward intended that his visits foster trade relations and sustain amity between the U.S. and his British Commonwealth constituents, his disturbingly neutral comments about Der Fuhrer -- and his overall defeatist attitude--were viewed as damaging to the Allied war effort.

 

Wallis and Edward were old friends of Charles Suydam Cutting (1889-1972) and his first wife Helen McMahon Cutting (1894-1961). Cutting was a naturalist, explorer, author, and photographer celebrated for traveling through Asia with Teddy Roosevelt's sons, and for being the first white Christian permitted into the Tibetan city of Lhasa. Mrs. Cutting had offered the couple's summer estate Hamilton Farms (located in Gladstone, New Jersey) as a retreat for convalescing seamen; it had opened on October 24, 1942.

 

The United Seamen's Service and War Shipping Administration established dozens of similar retreats for recovering sailors, located around the world and mostly in port cities.

 

The original mailing envelope, letter-opened at top, bears a sticker with the ex-royals' return address of "4 Route de Champ d'Entrainement / Paris (16e) / FRANCE." The Duke and Duchess lived at this address between 1952 and their respective deaths in 1972 and 1986 respectively.

 

The Duke and Duchess mailed this autographed photo to a certain Alexander F. Nahas (1920-2016). Born in Marseilles to a missionary, Nahas later lived in Danbury, Connecticut and became a merchant marine.

 


WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!
Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. ***PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SHIPMENT TO BE SENT TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN THE ONE YOU HAVE ON FILE WITH INVALUABLE, YOU WILL NEED TO INFORM US OF THIS AS SOON AS PAYMENT IS SUBMITTED FOR YOUR WINNINGS. ALSO, ALL PACKAGES SHIPPED FROM OUR OFFICES REQUIRE A DIRECT SIGNATURE UPON DELIVERY.*** Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000