The Margaret Thatcher Collection

The
Margaret
Thatcher
Collection



The
Margaret
Thatcher
Collection



Introduction
Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville

Those of us of a certain age can all remember where we were
when President Kennedy, the first post-war hero, was shot. I am
much embarrassed that I cannot immediately remember when I
first met Margaret Thatcher, but I am pretty sure it was when,
as Leader of the Opposition, she came to light up my by-election
in February 1977, the first British Parliamentary election to have
ten candidates. I realised instantly why and how she was one of
Nature’s campaigners.

I was the most junior member of her first Administration, so it
took a further decade before I had direct working contact with
her, first as Chairman of the Party, attending Cabinet, and then
as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, though she was always
kind in referring to her relations with my parents, who supported
her in her early career. When my first wife died, her letter of
condolence, in her own hand, was almost the first to arrive. She
was in such regards outstanding in her humanity, and a leader
to her finger tips.

It was her decisiveness which gave her greatness, whether in
relation to her leadership on the economy or privatisation or
industrial relations, or on the Falklands, the European Union, or
the Soviet Union. She knew what she wanted and went for it, but
I never found her dogmatic: in my experience she crossed her
Rubicons one step at a time, making sure each stone was safe
before moving to the next. In some senses her sure-footedness
(being certain of a course when others disagreed) was her final
undoing, because she had been right so often that perhaps she
became over confident.

Yet the breadth of her range could surprise one. At an occasion
when she shared a platform with President Reagan, their speech
writers had collaborated and chosen quotations from Tennyson’s
‘Ulysses’ for both speeches. I congratulated her three days later
on the choice of poet and poem and she responded “Yes, it’s
marvellous isn’t it?” and then, without hesitation or pausing,
quoted twenty lines faultlessly by heart.

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As to history’s verdict, she will always remain one of our reference
points. “What would Margaret have done?” is a good counsel to
the hesitant. In 2000, I attended a two day seminar at an American
university on her attitude to terrorism, she having chosen the
colleagues she wanted to accompany her as witnesses. Much
emerged that was revelatory. Merely thinking of her in this
context stirs the blood, yet her inherent caution would have
been present too.

Finally, I never personally found her domineering. Of course, she
enjoyed an argument and she used her authority to determine what
the terms of the argument would be, but it always reflected the real
question of the issue at stake. Some of all this is reflected in this
catalogue, and the whole catalogue reminds us of her Protean range.
The Conservative Agents at her first election, at which she first met
Denis, her many-sided prop, knew her quality from the beginning.

Brooke of Sutton Mandeville
Wiltshire, 2015

Peter Brooke was M.P. for the Cities of London and Westminster from 1977 to 2001.
After Mrs Thatcher’s election victory in 1979, he served as a Whip and Junior
Minister until 1985, when he became Minister of State in the Treasury. Following
the 1987 General Election, he was given the added title of Paymaster General.
Shortly afterwards he additionally became Chairman of the Conservative Party,
attending Cabinet without being a full member, but meeting the Prime Minister
from 9am to 10am every Monday morning. In July 1989, he became Secretary of
State for Northern Ireland, paving the way for the peace process and being retained
by John Major until April 1992, when he became a Companion of Honour and, in
September 1992, re-joining the Cabinet as Secretary of State for National Heritage,
the architect of the National Lottery. In 2001 he entered the House of Lords as
the Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville and became Chairman of the Association
of Conservative Peers.

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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

Although opinions differ widely on Margaret Thatcher’s legacy,
there can be no denying her significance as Britain’s first female
prime minister, who served three consecutive terms in office. She
was one of the major political figures of the 20th century both
internationally and nationally and ‘Thatcherism’ continues to
influence British politics into the 21st century.

This collection was started when I was Secretary of the Belgravia
Ward Conservatives in 1983. However, it was only in my years as an
antiquarian bookseller that I was able to purchase more important
items and develop the collection.

As my main interest lies in the visual arts, the collection includes
portraits, political cartoons, postcards and photographs by the
top artists in their respective fields. Margaret Thatcher’s political
career is exemplified by a fine selection of unique items including
hand-written letters and signed photographs, newspapers, books,
commemoratives and First Day Cover stamps. All the books in
the collection are first editions and many are signed by her. The
collection covers her early political career as an MP for Finchley
in North London, as Education Secretary in Edward Heath’s
government, her election as Prime Minister, her role in the
Falklands War, her ‘special’ relationship with President Reagan,
her ousting by the Conservative Party, and her death.

I have also included satirical works featuring Margaret Thatcher
on the cover of forty-three issues of Private Eye, showing a further
dimension in understanding her impact.

Carol Manheim
Artists’ Choice Editions, London, 2015

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A Collection of Eighteen Signed Letters and Cards

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A collection of eighteen letters that
relate to correspondence between
Margaret Thatcher MP and Miss V.E.
Watson and Miss W.M. Brett between
September 1961 and June 1971.

Mrs. Thatcher was Member of Parliament for Finchley
(which included Whetstone) from 1959 – 1992;

From 9 October 1961 – 16 October 1964 she was Parliamentary
Secretary to the Minister for Pensions;

From 10 January 1967 – 20 June 1970 she was Shadow Secretary
of State for Education and Science;

From 20 June 1970 – 4 March 1974 she was Secretary of State for
Education and Science.

Miss Watson and Miss Brett, who lived in Whetstone, would have
been constituents of Mrs. Thatcher.

All the letters are signed by Mrs. Thatcher, and are replies to
correspondence from Miss Watson and Miss Brett; apart from one
undated and unsigned draft letter to Mrs. Thatcher, most likely
written by Miss Watson, as it refers to “Miss B and I”.

The actual subject matter of the original letters written to
Mrs. Thatcher can only be conjecture as the correspondence
is one-sided. It would seem that Miss Watson and Miss Brett were
school teachers living at the same address. From Mrs. Thatcher’s
letters written 13 and 26 September 1961 and 23 May 1962, the
teachers would appear to be concerned with some misjudgment that
had taken place at their school that came out in the press but could
not be resolved through the local education authority. They wrote to
their Member of Parliament, Mrs. Thatcher, asking for her help, and
she replied with concern while passing on the case to Kenneth
Thompson, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Education.

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A Collection of Eighteen Signed Letters and Cards

However, the letter of 23 May 1962 written to Miss Watson reveals
that the Ministry did not override the decision of the local authority.

Mrs. Thatcher begins the letter of 23 May 1962 with thanking Miss
Watson for writing about the latest developments, but lets her know
that “Miss Morath is very highly thought of at the Ministry” and
finishes with saying she will let Kenneth Thompson know about
the latest developments at Leyton County High School for Girls.
It is possible that this letter is the reply to the draft letter written
by Miss Watson to Mrs. Thatcher, as the subject matter of that
letter concerns a dispute between a young teacher and H.M.,
i.e. the headmistress. However, as the draft is undated this cannot
be confirmed.

While the first three letters are addressed to Miss Watson, the next
letter, dated 4 July 1963, is addressed to Miss Brett alone and is a
reply to a letter Miss Brett wrote on 8 June regarding her National
Insurance contributions. Mrs. Thatcher has taken time to reply to
her, fully explaining the situation and adding a handwritten note.

This is followed by another letter dated 18 July 1963, in which Mrs
Thatcher thanks Miss Brett for letting her know about the troubles at
her school but, she regrets she has no power to intervene. Although
this could refer to the draft letter mentioned above, it would seem
unlikely as the draft letter was written by Miss Watson.

From now on, there appears to be a definite rapport between Mrs.
Thatcher and the two teachers, who are obviously loyal Conservative
supporters. She continues to reply to their letters personally even
though she was appointed junior minister at the Ministry of Pensions
in October 1961 and must have been very busy.

The next letter is dated 23 October 1963, the day Lord Home, who
had succeeded Harold Macmillan as Conservative Prime Minister
four days before, renounced his titles and became Sir Alec Douglas-
Home. The ladies had obviously written about the leadership election
to Mrs. Thatcher, who replied in a positive manner while still
referring to him as Lord Home.

On 24 June 1964, Mrs. Thatcher addressed a reply to both ladies,
thanking them for their letter about the Women’s Campaign and

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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

mentioning Lord Normanbrook having “only just taken over”,
suggesting that if they are not successful to try again in a year
or two. Sir Norman Brook, a well-known Cabinet Secretary, had
been raised to the peerage as Lord Normanbrook on 24 January
1963 and in 1964 became Chairman of the Board of Governors
of the BBC.

On 15 October 1964, there was a General Election which Labour
won with just a four seat majority. Mrs. Thatcher wrote to the
Misses Watson and Brett on 26 October to thank them for their
help during the election campaign.

On Monday 1 March 1965, Mrs. Thatcher acknowledged a letter
written to her and wished the ladies “Good luck for Wednesday”.

After the defeat of the Conservatives in October 1964, Sir Alec
Douglas-Home remained Leader of the Opposition until 22 July
1965 when he announced his resignation. The ladies sent a card to
Mrs. Thatcher, obviously on the subject, to which she replied on
26 July giving her opinion about Sir Alec and saying how glad she
was he was to remain in the House of Commons.

On 31 March 1966, Prime Minister Harold Wilson called another
General Election and Labour won again: this time with a working
majority of 96.

Mrs. Thatcher wrote to the Misses Watson and Brett on 1 April
sending them “my warmest thanks” for the help during the
Election campaign and on Polling Day. She was “thrilled” with
the local result and praised Edward Heath as leader. The local
election was a great success with an increased majority for Mrs.
Thatcher in spite of the loss of many Conservative seats in the
rest of the country.

From 1967 – 70, Mrs. Thatcher was shadow Secretary of State
for Education and Science.

On 5 June 1968, Mrs. Thatcher replied to a letter from Miss
Watson, saying she had written to the Ministry about a point
Miss Watson had raised, but what it was about is not revealed.
However, in the second paragraph, Mrs. Thatcher gives some

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A Collection of Eighteen Signed Letters and Cards

advice about the Monday Club which Miss Watson had obviously
asked about.

The Monday Club was started in the early 60s by a group of young
Conservatives as a political pressure group in reaction to the
decolonisation of the colonies and materialism of Harold Macmillan’s
government – it could be loosely described as the UKIP of its day,
although members remained in the Conservative Party and many
were MPs. It was finally dissolved in 2001 in a dispute over race
and immigration.

On 26 August 1968, Mrs. Thatcher replied to a letter from
Miss Brett with regard to the “Czech crisis”. On 5 January 1968,
the reformist, Alexander Dubček, was elected First Secretary
of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party but his attempts to
grant additional rights and freedoms to the people did not go
down well with the Soviet Union, who retaliated by using Warsaw
Pact troops to invade the country on 21 August 1968. Miss Brett
obviously felt concern, which was responded to by Mrs. Thatcher.
Dubček’s attempts at reform became known as the “Prague Spring”.

The next letter is handwritten, dated 6 January 1970, and addressed
to both ladies, who must have expressed views on the way some
people were used to serve other people’s causes. Mrs. Thatcher
relates the subject to advice she gives to students.

On 20 June 1970, the Conservatives won the General Election
and Mrs. Thatcher was appointed Secretary of State for Education
and Science.

On 21 June 1970, Mrs. Thatcher wrote a personal, handwritten letter
to Miss Brett and Miss Watson thanking them for their help in the
election campaign.

On 3 October 1970, Mrs. Thatcher wrote another handwritten reply
to the ladies, apologising for being brief but saying she had enjoyed
hearing from them. The letter mentions Ravenscroft school.

The final letter in this collection was written on 18 June 1971 to
both Miss Watson and Miss Brett. Mrs. Thatcher was informing
them of the result of a long interview she had with a daughter

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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

and her father. The daughter felt that a particular doctor had not
taken due care with her mother who had suffered a stroke and
subsequently died. Mrs. Thatcher, while being sympathetic, was
not in a position to help, but suggested writing to the National
Health Executive Council.
It can be seen from this collection of letters that, in spite of her
increasing duties as Secretary of State, Mrs. Thatcher still makes
time to write to, and be concerned with, her constituents.

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A Collection of Eighteen Signed Letters and Cards

13 September 1961
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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

26 September 1961

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A Collection of Eighteen Signed Letters and Cards

Draft letter (undated)
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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

23 May 1962

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A Collection of Eighteen Signed Letters and Cards

4 July 1963
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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

18 July 1963

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A Collection of Eighteen Signed Letters and Cards

23 October 1963
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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

24 June 1964

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A Collection of Eighteen Signed Letters and Cards

20 October 1964
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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

1 March 1965

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A Collection of Eighteen Signed Letters and Cards

26 July 1965
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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

1 April 1966

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A Collection of Eighteen Signed Letters and Cards

5 June 1968
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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

26 August 1968

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A Collection of Eighteen Signed Letters and Cards

6 January 1970
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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

2 June 1970

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A Collection of Eighteen Signed Letters and Cards

3 October 1970
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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

18 June 1970

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Ceramics, Glass and Ephemera

The Margaret Thatcher Collection
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Ceramics, Glass and Ephemera

A glass tumbler with an image of A fine ceramic plate with gilt decoration Made in England, Royal Worcester, 1988.
Mrs. Thatcher pushing a pram titled marking the 10th Anniversary of Mrs. Limited Edition. No 889 of 2,500.
‘The Tory Party’. Produced prior to Thatcher as Prime Minister, 4 May, 1989.
the 1979 election by Ravenhead, There is a central roundel photographic
with the cartoon by Cummings, an portrait of Mrs. Thatcher. On the reverse,
artist for the Daily Express. highlights of Mrs. Thatcher’s elected
career are listed in an illustrative scroll.
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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

An elegant white china loving cup with design is repeated on the other side with General Election Result Mug. 3 May 1979.
a ribbed pattern on the underside. There the names of the rest of the Prime Minsters Ceramic. Photographic images of Mrs.
is a profile portrait of Mrs. Thatcher on extending back to Walpole in 1721. The Thatcher, Jim Callahan and David Steel with
one side. This image is surrounded by inscription on the reverse records Mrs. their respective seats won: Conservatives
scroll-like ribbons radiating from a wreath Thatcher’s victory. The cup is 4in high and is 339, Labour 268; Liberal 11 others 17.
that contain the names of previous Prime decorated in blue and gold. Made in England,
Ministers of the United Kingdom. The Royal Doulton, 1979.

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Ceramics, Glass and Ephemera

Margaret Thatcher, Luck & Flaw Margaret Thatcher, Luck & Flaw Spitting During the 1980s and 90s the programme
Spitting Image* Cream Jug. Made by Image Teapot. Made by Roger Law, co-founder won numerous awards and had a viewing
Roger Law, co-founder of Spitting Image. of Spitting Image. England, Carlton Ware, audience of 15 million.
England, Carlton Ware, ceramic, 1980. Since ceramic, 1980. 8.25 x 11.6 x 6.8 inches.
leaving television, Roger Law has continued
his work as a ceramicist, and is currently *Spitting Image was a British satirical puppet
exhibiting worldwide. television show that ran from 1984–1996.

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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

Britannia Thatcher: Margaret and Denis Thatcher
Commemorative Toby Jug. England, Staffordshire,
Lady Grace China, 2002. Mrs. Thatcher is modelled
as Britannia and Denis features as the handle.
Produced to commemorate the 20th Anniversary
of the retaking of the Falkland Islands, 1982. 9 inches
tall. Modelled by Ray Noble. Limited Edition no. 41 of 500.

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Ceramics, Glass and Ephemera

Thatcher. The Complete Collection. The Making of Margaret; The Falklands;
Eight DVDs in a custom-made blue World Stage; The Age of Dissent; Taking
slipcase with gilt lettering. on the Unions; Public Image, Private Life;
The Fall; The Legacy. Narrated by Anna
A series of eight television programmes, Massey. Distributed by the Telegraph Media
produced by ITN, which chronicled the Group, for promotional use only – not for
political life of Margaret Thatcher: resale, 2008.

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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

A silver medal designed and issued by shield – The Falklands Coat of Arms.
Spink to mark the visit of Mrs. Thatcher Issue limit of 500. This medal is fitted into
to the Falklands in January, 1983. With a custom-made presentation case of blue silk
certificate of authenticity. The medal was and velvet, allowing both sides of the medal
sculpted by Philip Nathan, F.R.B.S. One to be displayed. With a slipcase in blue silk.
side is a profile portrait of Mrs. Thatcher
and the reverse side depicts a lion with

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Ceramics, Glass and Ephemera

First Day Cover. Published to commemorate
the death of Mrs. Thatcher. With a coloured
photograph and highlights of Mrs. Thatcher’s
career. It is postmarked London SW1, 8 April
‘13. Limited edition of 1979 – commemorating
the year in which Mrs. Thatcher became Prime
Minister. Mounted and framed.
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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

The Conservatives. A History of the Party.
A vinyl disc of speeches. 33 rpm LP.

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Original Artwork and Limited Edition Prints

The Margaret Thatcher Collection
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Original Artwork and Limited Editions

Hilary Paynter. ‘Christmas Presents’ card would be inappropriate. I hoped
Wood engraving conceived as a Christmas that Christmas would arrive with the
card, artist’s proof. 1982. 10 x 8.5 inches both intact”.
framed. Signed by the artist. The image is
of President Reagan and Mrs. Thatcher Paynter is one of England’s leading wood
sharing a gift of a bomb. engravers. In addition to her impressive
list of illustrated books, her work is found
Comment by the artist: “There had in the collections of the Victoria & Albert
already been an attempt on Reagan’s Museum, the Ashmolean Museum; and
life and there was a serious risk that my other collections around the country.

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The Margaret Thatcher Collection

Gerald Scarfe. Thames and Hudson, 1982. Quarto. Cloth
boards with gilt. 170 pages. Box. Signed limited edition
book, and an original four-colour lithograph of Mrs.
Thatcher, printed by the Curwen Press and signed by
Gerald Scarfe. No. 203 of 250 copies worldwide.

Gerald Scarfe is still producing political cartoons
for the Sunday Times and has done so for the last
forty-five years. Thus far he has had more than fifty
one-man shows worldwide.

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Original Artwork and Limited Editions

Above Stanley Franklin (1930 – 2004). “Tough Opposite Lynda Minter. Portrait of Mrs.
Luck, Chaps, I’m stuck here until 1997!” Pen Thatcher. Oil on canvas 2013. Framed
and ink. Political cartoon. The subject is Mrs. 15 x 12 inches.
Thatcher trying to be removed from her seat
by Neil Kinnock, David Steel and David Owen. This portrait is a homage to Mrs. Thatcher.
Framed. 9 x 11 inches. Minter was encouraged by Mrs. Thatcher
to become a first time buyer in the early
Franklin’s career as a political cartoonist 1970s. She is a member of the Royal Society
spanned 1959–1998. He began at the of British Artists.
Daily Mirror and afterwards at The Sun –
both newspapers having massive readership
at the time.

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