Steve Forbes isn’t just the heir to the Forbes media empire. He’s also one of the world’s most prolific collectors of Winston Churchill memorabilia.
The chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes and the grandson of the publication’s founder B.C. Forbes first became aware of Churchill through his father, who fought in the Second World War. Forbes, who himself pursued a career in politics as a candidate for the 1996 and 2000 Republican presidential primaries, subsequently became an avid fan of the former U.K. prime minister.
“The man wrote so many memos, letters, articles and books that my quest easily became a lifetime passion,” Forbes once wrote. “Things always led to more things!”
Forbes has previously sold off portions of his Churchill collection, which is considered one of the finest in private hands—in 2010, a Christie’s auction dedicated to his memorabilia realized nearly $850,000. Now, Forbes is bringing more Churchill artifacts to market as he prepares to auction off more than twenty-five lots with Peter Harrington, a London-based rare book dealer.
The works will be exhibited at the Winter Show fair at the Park Avenue Armory, which will be open tomorrow (Jan. 19) until Jan. 28. Starring in the collection is Churchill’s personal desk from his Hyde Park Gate home. Estimated to sell for $450,000, it was where he worked on titles like The Second World War and History of the English-Speaking Peoples.
Meanwhile, an oil portrait of Churchill painted in 1943 by artist Arthur Pan is expected to realize $125,000. Much of the portrait had to be created from Pan’s memory, as Churchill was a “very difficult” sitter who couldn’t stay still long, recalled the painter in a 1945 interview.
Another painting in Forbes’s collection was created by Churchill himself. Depicting a gorge in the eastern Atlas Mountains in Morocco, Churchill painted the image in the winter of 1935. It has been passed down through the Churchill family throughout the years and is expected to fetch $395,000 at auction.
A treasure trove of Churchill’s writings
Forbes has also accumulated numerous books and letters by Churchill, including a trove of proof copies, typescripts and research materials for his Second World War series. Containing Churchill’s own corrections, the documents have an estimate of $750,000.
Other writings from Churchill include an archive of correspondence from 1916 when he served in the trenches on the Western Front. Sent to power broker Edward Carson, the letters are estimated to sell for $75,000 and lay out his plans to return to politics and remove Prime Minister H.H. Asquith from power.
Forbes will additionally offer up a series of more personal items, including a photograph depicting Churchill and his wife Clementine facing each other over newspapers. Signed by the couple, the image was released to mark their golden wedding anniversary in September of 1958.
The sale also includes books written by Churchill and inscribed to personal and professional figures in his life. A copy of Into Battle, for example, is inscribed with a letter to Pamela Plowden, Churchill’s first love, and has an estimate of $12,500, while a copy of Churchill’s The Story of the Malakand Field Force inscribed to his valet Thomas Walden is estimated to sell for $47,500.
Meanwhile, Churchill’s first novel Savrola contains an inscription to his military mentor Ian Hamilton and was gifted while the two men were serving in the Second Boer War. It is also expected to realize $47,500.
“This remarkable collection is… one of the most significant collections we have handled in more than 50 years as rare book sellers,” said Pom Harrington, owner of Peter Harrington, in a statement. “It is a real testament to what a private collector can achieve through combining multi-decade perseverance with the ability to grasp every opportunity to acquire exceptional material.”
