Queen Elizabeth II
1 portrait by James Valentine & Sons Ltd
© Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II
by Charles James Dawson, for Central Press, published by James Valentine & Sons Ltd
bromide postcard print, 4 November 1952
5 1/2 in. x 3 1/2 in. (140 mm x 90 mm) overall
Purchased, 1977
Photographs Collection
NPG x132905
Sitterback to top
- Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), Reigned 1952-2022. Sitter associated with 972 portraits.
Artistsback to top
- Central Press, Photographers. Artist or producer associated with 104 portraits.
- Charles James Dawson (1917-2006), Photographer and soldier. Artist or producer associated with 2 portraits.
- James Valentine & Sons Ltd (active 1880s-1968), Photographers. Artist or producer associated with 39 portraits.
Subjects & Themesback to top
Events of 1952back to top
Current affairs
King George VI is found dead in his bed in Sandringham; he had been suffering from lung cancer. His daughter Elizabeth, who was in Kenya at the time, became Queen, the only monarch not to know the precise moment of her accession as her father was alone when he died. Elizabeth was crowned the following year.Art and science
Samuel Beckett's play, Waiting for Godot is performed for the first time in Paris. The play belongs to the Theatre of the Absurd style, which influenced playwrights such as Harold Pinter and Tom Stoppard.Agatha Christie's play The Mousetrap opens in London. It is still going.
International
Mau Mau rebels in Kenya rise up against the British colonial administration. The rebellion was sparked by the growing poverty of the native farmers under the rule of white settlers and called for Kenyan independence. The violence of the rebels, who often murdered settlers and loyalists, was met by the indiscriminate suppression by the British Military, who executed hundreds of suspects.Comments back to top
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