Franklin D. Roosevelt

vintage silverprint, depicting Roosevelt seated at a desk (image size 235 x 185mm, paper size c.345 x 270mm), INSCRIBED BY ROOSEVELT TO MARY CHURCHILL ("To Mary Churchill from her friend, the Other Naval Person Franklin D. Roosevelt"), also with photographer's copyright inscription, framed and glazed, water staining to image, spotting, puncture hole to back of mount

Not examined out of frame. There is water staining to the sheet with three visible spots of loss to the centre of the image; a scuff to the right hand and a couple of tiny spots of loss below the left wrist. Elsewhere there are minor spots of staining and surface dirt to the white boarder. Please contact the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This photograph was probably inscribed by President Roosevelt when the young Mary Churchill accompanied her father on the First Quebec Conference (17-24 August 1943), either in Quebec itself or during the Churchills' more relaxed stay in Washington that followed in early September. Roosevelt's inscription refers to Churchill's code-name in his correspondence with the President: at the start of the war, when Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty, he was the "Naval Person", and this became "Former Naval Person" when he moved to Downing Street.

Roosevelt made a great impression on the young Mary Churchill, as she recorded in her diary: "I am devoted to him & admire him tremendously - He seems to have fearless courage & an art of selecting the warmest moment of the iron - Papa & he are an interesting contrast." (quoted in A Daughter's Tale, London, Doubleday, 2011, p.360).