Reuters reports on an upcoming item for sale:
"A partial set of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill's gold-mounted dentures, specially designed to disguise his natural lisp, go up for sale this month. The partial dentures, which Keys Auctioneers have catalogued with an estimated value of 4,000 to 5,000 pounds, are being sold by the son of the technician who was commissioned to make them.
A duplicate is on show at the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, and a third set was buried with Churchill in 1965.
According to documents written by the college of surgeons, the dentures were "carefully designed to ensure that Churchill retained his characteristically slurred diction -- a deliberate affectation designed to overcome a childhood lisp. "Churchill lived in fear of losing his false teeth, and hence his speaking voice, and insisted that spare dentures always be on hand," it added.
The auction is at Keys' showroom in Norwich on July 29.
(Reporting by Isobel Coles; Editing by Steve Addison)"
Showing posts with label winston churchill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winston churchill. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
(Auf) Wiedersehen Winston
The Telegraph reports:
"A bust of the former prime minister once voted the greatest Briton in history, which was loaned to George W Bush from the Government's art collection after the September 11 attacks, has now been formally handed back. The bronze by Sir Jacob Epstein, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds if it were ever sold on the open market, enjoyed pride of place in the Oval Office during President Bush's tenure. But when British officials offered to let Mr Obama to hang onto the bust for a further four years, the White House said: "Thanks, but no thanks.""
Apparently, President Obama has replaced the bust of Winston Churchill that used to sit in the Oval Office with one of Abraham Lincoln. And what is wrong with that, might I ask?
Nu, a brief ravaj story: many many moons ago the ravaj had to take some examinations called the GEDs in order to enter graduate school. These exams included a maths paper. As the ravaj had not done any maths since she was 16, she was somewhat rusty, and extremely anxious. She was so anxious that there was little room in her brain for anything else. So it was that as she entered the National Liberal Club in Whitehall (London), and climbed the stairs to the exam room, she caught sight of a painting on the wall. The subject looked familiar, but she could not recall his name. All through the exam she wondered ... was it a member of the synagogue? Was it a friend of her parents? Was it the father of someone she knew? She could not get this out of her mind. At last the test was over, and enough use of her brain returned to suggest that there might be a label by the painting from which she could get the information she desired. She went down the stairs, and read the label. She was looking at a painting of Winston Churchill.
"A bust of the former prime minister once voted the greatest Briton in history, which was loaned to George W Bush from the Government's art collection after the September 11 attacks, has now been formally handed back. The bronze by Sir Jacob Epstein, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds if it were ever sold on the open market, enjoyed pride of place in the Oval Office during President Bush's tenure. But when British officials offered to let Mr Obama to hang onto the bust for a further four years, the White House said: "Thanks, but no thanks.""
Apparently, President Obama has replaced the bust of Winston Churchill that used to sit in the Oval Office with one of Abraham Lincoln. And what is wrong with that, might I ask?
Nu, a brief ravaj story: many many moons ago the ravaj had to take some examinations called the GEDs in order to enter graduate school. These exams included a maths paper. As the ravaj had not done any maths since she was 16, she was somewhat rusty, and extremely anxious. She was so anxious that there was little room in her brain for anything else. So it was that as she entered the National Liberal Club in Whitehall (London), and climbed the stairs to the exam room, she caught sight of a painting on the wall. The subject looked familiar, but she could not recall his name. All through the exam she wondered ... was it a member of the synagogue? Was it a friend of her parents? Was it the father of someone she knew? She could not get this out of her mind. At last the test was over, and enough use of her brain returned to suggest that there might be a label by the painting from which she could get the information she desired. She went down the stairs, and read the label. She was looking at a painting of Winston Churchill.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
winston churchill's teeth
breaking news today is that the british might have lost the second world war if it were not for winston churchill's dentist. the sub-standard reports:
""A spokesman said: "For Churchill, a well-fitting denture was a crucial physical and psychological prop. It allowed him to speak effectively - a vital attribute for any politician, and especially for one whose speaking skills were so central to his success. Throughout his adult life Churchill was haunted by the fear of losing his ability to speak." Churchill's original dentures were made from hardened rubber, but he found them uncomfortable and often put them in his pocket. Once he sat on them which prompted a hasty repair. But he had a second pair made, which this time had a larger palate which he found more comfortable."
read the full story here. the thank-you letter to his dentist will be auctioned at bonham's next month. that's just around the corner from home. if i were in london, that might be a fun cash in the attic kind of morning activity :-)
""A spokesman said: "For Churchill, a well-fitting denture was a crucial physical and psychological prop. It allowed him to speak effectively - a vital attribute for any politician, and especially for one whose speaking skills were so central to his success. Throughout his adult life Churchill was haunted by the fear of losing his ability to speak." Churchill's original dentures were made from hardened rubber, but he found them uncomfortable and often put them in his pocket. Once he sat on them which prompted a hasty repair. But he had a second pair made, which this time had a larger palate which he found more comfortable."
read the full story here. the thank-you letter to his dentist will be auctioned at bonham's next month. that's just around the corner from home. if i were in london, that might be a fun cash in the attic kind of morning activity :-)
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