Signed Photo of the Queen.

[Alastair_sD]

Hey there.
I managed to find a picture of the queen hidden in my house. It is signed and dated 1957. My grandmother who is into royal issues says that it is from her visit to Ghana in 1957. We don't have any other information on it besides that. Her signature appears to be in good condition but the picture of her does have some water damage. He picture including her signature is physically quite large. Measuring 43cmx33cm. And it is glued to some sord of hard backing board that measures around 60.8cm x 43.3cm.

Can anyone shed some light on this mysterious picture and if there is a way that we can restore it somehow.

 

[Curryong]

1957 was the year that Ghana achieved independence. My guess is that it was given by a member of the Royal party to some minor official in Ghana in 1957 and since then has been travelling! Given that the photo was hidden, did the former owners of your house hold some position in Ghana or formerly in the Colonial Service there and perhaps just left it behind at your place?

Any good photography studio/firm should be able to restore the photo though it might cost some money for them to help.

 

[Alastair_sD]

1957 was the year that Ghana achieved independence. My guess is that it was given by a member of the Royal party to some minor official in Ghana in 1957 and since then has been travelling! Given that the photo was hidden, did the former owners of your house hold some position in Ghana or formerly in the Colonial Service there and perhaps just left it behind at your place?

Any good photography studio/firm should be able to restore the photo though it might cost some money for them to help.

No I am not sure on the history of the previous owners honestly. So did she herself visit in 1957?

 

[Curryong]

The Queen visited Ghana in 1961. After Independence. But there would have been photos of her as a young woman in Govt departments and Offices all over the Commonwealth nations until the 1970s.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Commonwealth_visits_made_by_Elizabeth_II

 

[Jacknch]

I believe the photograph was taken by professional portrait photographer, Dorothy Wilding - (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Wilding.) - who seems to have done a series of photographs of the Queen in that dress:

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=dorothy+wilding+&FORM=HDRSC2

There are any number of possibilities as to how the photograph was used and how it ended up in Ghana - maybe as an official portrait in a governmental office or other institution.

 

[Alastair_sD]

I believe the photograph was taken by professional portrait photographer, Dorothy Wilding - (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Wilding.) - who seems to have done a series of photographs of the Queen in that dress:

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=dorothy+wilding+&FORM=HDRSC2

There are any number of possibilities as to how the photograph was used and how it ended up in Ghana - maybe as an official portrait in a governmental office or other institution.

It definitely is Dorothy Wilding as you will see in the picture I posted. We had the signature authenticated. But the lady who authenticated it was hesitant to give us a number on the value of the picture. Unfortunately the staining on the picture itself I am sure detracts from its value. Can it be restored?

 

[Osipi]

One thing I'd like to mention if you're looking at the picture for its cash value. As time passes, the value, like great works by artists, goes up. Paintings sometimes double in value after the artist dies. With a picture like you have that has been authenticated, with the Queen being such an iconic figure in our world, after her death, I imagine that the value of the picture would increase.

I'd hang on to it for quite a while. Even maybe as a family heirloom. ?