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Published by The Royal Ballet, London, 1960
Seller: The Bookshop at Beech Cottage, Newbury, United Kingdom
Book First Edition
Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Rex Whistler (illustrator). 1st Edition. Silk Playbill of a Gala Performance by The Royal Ballet staged by Command of Her Majesty The Queen in honour of the state visit to London of President and Madam de Gaulle in April 1960. This glittering Gala Performance at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden took place on the second evening of their visit and was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Antony Armstrong-Jones and other members of the Royal Family. The playbill was designed by Peter Hatch and printed by William Clowes & Sons Ltd on British silk. The Royal Arms was drawn by Rex Whistler. The item measures 290mm x 550mm and is folded three times to fit within a red silk covered purple card folder (measuring 290mm x147mm). The Royal Arms are printed in black on the front cover of this folder and programme notes printed on inside flap. The folder was printed by Westerham Press. There is a water/drink (?) stain on the top left hand corner of the front cover and right hand corner of rear of the folder. This has also left a small toning mark on the top left hand corner and left hand margin of the silk play bill (this has not egressed onto the text of the playbill itself). Altogether in VG+ condition - a rare piece of Royal memorabilia. The state visit by the French President took place at a delicate time in European affairs, at the height of the Algerian crisis and when the UK was considering applying for membership of the Common Market.