Gen Sir John Maxwell Interwar Black Watch Photo Plaque 1916 Easter Rising 5pc
The General Sir John Maxwell Personal Black Watch & Coldstream Guards Photo Archive Museum-Grade 5-Piece Unframed Estate Lot – Original Presentation Plaque & Printed Mat Elements. This specific lot directly reflects the military legacy of General Sir John Grenfell Maxwell, whose only daughter, Helena, married into the Carver family. Please check my other auctions for related family heirlooms. Sourced directly via descent from the immediate family estate, these four salvaged photographs were personally owned by General Sir John Grenfell Maxwell. Most famously known in world history as the British Commander-in-Chief who suppressed the historic 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland, General Maxwell also served as the distinguished Regimental Colonel for the Black Watch in the 1920s. These photos have been removed from their original frames and present a spectacular historical restoration project. While there is prominent peripheral water damage to the antique cardboard matting from decades of estate storage, portions of the original printed mats can be easily salvaged, fully preserving the critical names, dates, and crests. Offered entirely unframed and flat-packed, this archive is a rare opportunity to acquire direct, personal command pieces from an elite WWI/Interwar military dynasty. Piece 1: The Silver Presentation Plaque. Dimensions: Measures approximately 3.5″ x 1″. Text Engraving: Reads explicitly: Presented to the Colonel of the Black Watch, By the Officers of his Second Battalion, 20th June 1925. Context: Salvaged directly from the frame of Photo 1, this plaque (which I believe to be silver) represents a direct, personal tribute gifted to General Maxwell by his subordinate officers. It retains its authentic age-tarnish and original mounting rivets on the reverse side. Piece 2: The Officers Portfolio – 2nd Battalion The Black Watch (Bordon, 1925). Mat Dimensions: 16″ x 12″. Printed Text: “The Officers, 2nd Battalion The Black Watch, Bordon, 1925″. Identification & Publishers: General Maxwell himself is clearly visible, seated directly in the middle of the front row wearing a peaked cap and holding his swagger stick. The lower mount features the official studio stamps: Gale & Polden, Ltd. ” and “Aldershot and London. Condition Note: This is the photo that originally housed the silver presentation plaque. Both the central photograph and the printed description block are well-preserved and can be easily salvaged/matted. Piece 3: The Cairo Command – 3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards (Cairo, March 1911). Mat Dimensions: 18″ x 11″ (Central photographic print measures 11.5″ x 6″). Printed Text: “3rd Battn Coldstream Guards, Cairo, March, 1911″. Studio Photographer: Stamped by the legendary Near East studio G. This image directly documents General Maxwell’s extensive command tenure and military governance over the Egyptian theater. The photo and the crisp upper description text block can be easily salvaged. Piece 4: Imperial Durbar Assembly – The British High Commissioner & Malay Rulers c. Mat Dimensions: Heavy mat measures 18″ x 15.25″. Description: A magnificent, large-scale formal diplomatic portrait documenting a historic Conference of Rulers (Durbar) held at Government House under the grand carriage porch in Kuala Lumpur, British Malaya. Context: Features an extraordinary assembly of sovereign Malay Sultans in traditional royal regalia seated directly alongside British High Command staff, including General Sir John Maxwell in formal white tropical dress uniform. Piece 5: The Non-Coms Archive – 2nd Battalion The Black Watch Sergeants’ Mess (Bordon, Dec 1922). Printed Text: “Members, Sergeants’ Mess, 2nd Battalion The Black Watch, Bordon, December 1922″. Details: Features a sweeping troop lineup in full Highland dress. General Maxwell’s name appears directly within the printed lineup text. Restoration Note: This mat is structurally stable enough that a collector could simply overlay an additional custom decorative mat and frame it immediately. Condition & Conservation Summary This lot is offered in salvaged, antique condition as an ideal restoration project. The four central photographic prints are remarkably crisp, maintaining strong charcoal tones, deep contrast, and sharp detail. The heavy estate cardboard matting shows prominent, historical water staining, foxing, and peripheral tidelines from storage as pictured. However, because the text blocks, names, and General Maxwell’s central seating positions are completely clear, these items can be easily trimmed, custom overlay-matted, and beautifully restored. The loose silver presentation plaque will be individually wrapped in bubble wrap and securely enclosed.
