Clementine Churchill gift and signed gift card - a 1940s Jea...

Estimate

£50 - £80

Clementine Churchill gift and signed gift card - a 1940s Jean Matou (Washington) padded silk handkerchief or hand-mirror case, a gift from Clementine Churchill, 23 cm in diameter; with a gift card inscribed 'Love & Christmas Wishes from Clementine S. Churchill'; the box inscribed by the recipient with a note stating 'This sachet was brought back to me from America by Mrs Churchill on her first visit with the Prime Minister in 1943. If Julian marries I should like his wife to have it...'
Condition: good, the box at fault.
(Clementine Churchill rushed to Washington when the Prime Minister caught pneumonia after the Cairo conference in mid-December 1943. The couple returned to London 'fighting fit' on January 18th 1944 in time for lunch at Buckingham Palace. The Press reported, 'Many crates, baskets and hampers containing oranges, lemons and bananas arrived at a London station with that of Mr and Mrs Churchill today. They bore labels addressed to members of the party who came home with the Prime Minister... The arrival had been kept a close secret from the public, but as the party was greeted by relatives, close friends, members of the Cabinet and members of the Service staffs, large crowds of spectators crowded against the barriers.')