Queen Elizabeth's 'Very Poor' Childhood Drawing Sent To Peter Pan Creator Goes Up For Auction
Queen Elizabeth II's childhood artwork that her mother described as "very poor" has gone up for auction.
The red crayon doodle, believed to have been crafted by then-Princess Elizabeth in the early 1930s, between the ages of 4 and 6, had been sent to "Peter Pan" creator J. M. Barrie, along with an apologetic letter from her mother Queen Elizabeth, who later became known as the Queen Mother.
The drawing, which is part of auction house RR Auction's Fine Autograph and Artifacts sale, is thought to portray the young princess' interpretation of a proposed new building at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London.
Both the doodle and the Queen Mother's four-page letter are currently being auctioned together, with bidding reaching $1,210 as of Thursday.
Queen Elizabeth's Childhood Drawing, Which Her Mom Brutally Dubbed 'Very Poor,' Goes Up for Auction https://t.co/HabSqs7iC9
— People (@people) January 4, 2024
The drawing was previously owned by an American Anglophile, according to the Daily Mail. It was put up for auction at Everard Auctions in Georgia, where it was sold to a British online bidder for around $4,200.
In her letter, the then-Duchess of York called her eldest daughter's sketch "very poor" and wrote, "Elizabeth insisted on putting in a roof with lots of little windows for the nursery maids," according to RR Auction.
The note also highlighted the royal protocol around privacy, with the future Queen Mother urging Barrie to keep the correspondence private.
"If you can manage it, will you not let the Press photograph this," she wrote in a postscript, emphasizing the need for discretion.
Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret (1930-2002) along with their mother Queen Elizabeth (1900-2002) cross over the railway bridge at Glamis railway station near Forfar in Scotland in August 1933.
The auction revealed an interesting piece of history as the drawing and the handwritten note are on 145 Piccadilly letterhead, suggesting they came from the London townhouse where the Duke and Duchess of York resided with their daughters Elizabeth and Margaret before the unexpected accession of King George VI in 1936.
The drawing and note were originally sent to Barrie, who was a friend of the royal family.
The playwright had a significant connection with the Great Ormond Street Hospital, having donated his rights from "Peter Pan" to fund a new wing in 1929.
According to RR Auction, Barrie's success with the novel made him a celebrity and he met the princesses at a party in Scotland.
He was later invited to Princess Margaret's third birthday in 1933, solidifying a friendship that Barrie would reference in his 1936 play, "The Boy David."
The ongoing auction also features a Christmas card from Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip sent to Prince Philip's sister Sophie of Greece and Denmark in 1952.
Queen Elizabeth II served seven decades on the British throne until her passing on Sept. 8, 2022, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
