Last evening, I was checking on the condition of tortoise shell card cases which I inherited. As winter approaches and central heating is turned on, I check the fragile items in the house to see that they are protected from the rather dry air during the winter. While I was checking the card cases, I began to remember being in Williamsburg on a family vacation in 1957. The Queen had just left Virginia, but a lavish tortoiseshell jewel casket was on display. It was a gift from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. It was a very personal gift because the casket had come from the Queen’s grandmother, Queen Mary, who was one of the great collectors in the Royal Family. I remember my father’s great interest in this casket because he owned tortoiseshell tea caddies and appreciated the craftsmanship of this magnificent gift. This morning, I decided I would find the whereabouts of this casket–it was a flashback in my mind. I was thrilled to find the following information. The tortoiseshell casket is even more impressive than I remembered it.
This royal gift is in the tradition of royal presentations while on visits to the United States. An 18th century pier mirror and a pair of candelabra were given by her parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother) to the newly refurbished White House after World War II. These marvelous gifts are further evidence of the close relationships between the United States and Britain.
Thomas Moore email: TMooreSr@me.com Telephone: 801.791.9918
