MOUNTAINEERING--GREGORY | Twenty photographs of the British Mount Everest Expedition, 1953

MOUNTAINEERING--GREGORY, ALFRED

Twenty photographs of the British Mount Everest expedition, 1953, most signed by the photographer, comprising:

2 MATT SILVER PRINTS (405 x 408mm., or the reverse), mounted on heavy board, both captioned in ink on the reverse, one signed in both pencil and ink, slight surface and edge wear
2 SILVER PRINTS (285 x 365mm., and 286 x 222mm.), each mounted on black card, captioned and signed on the reverse in ink and signed twice in pencil and ink
DYE-TRANSFER PRINT (263 x 375mm.), captioned and signed in pencil on the reverse
SILVER PRINT (400 x 300mm.), captioned and signed in pencil on the reverse, additionally signed in black ink on the image
14 SILVER PRINTS (295 x 210mm., or the reverse), each captioned and signed in ink or pencil on the reverse, 8 additionally signed in black ink on the image

A FINE COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE FIRST ASCENT OF EVEREST.
The 1953 British Mount Everest expedition was the ninth mountaineering expedition to attempt the first ascent of Mount Everest, and the first confirmed to have succeeded when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit on Friday 29 May 1953. Led by Colonel John Hunt, it was organised and financed by the Joint Himalayan Committee. News of the expedition's success reached London in time to be released on the morning of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, on the 2nd of June that year.

Alfred Gregory FBIPP Hon FRPS (1913–2010) climber, explorer and photographer was born in Blackburn, Lancashire. He first saw Mt Everest in 1952 as a member of Eric Shipton’s expedition to the Himalaya’s Cho Oyu, and in 1953 he was selected as a climbing member and official stills photographer of the British expedition. Gregory reached 8,500 metres in support of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s successful summit attempt.

The 2 large photographs on board were printed for the 1973 20th anniversary exhibition of the ascent; the 2 large prints on black card were printed for the 1983 30th anniversary exhibition. For the 1973 exhibition Gregory only printed 2 photographs of each size on board, and for the 1983 exhibition he only printed one of each photograph. The other photographs in this lot were produced in the 1970s or 1980s.

PROVENANCE:
Acquired directly from the photographer by the present owner

Condition Report:
Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.

Condition 11 of the Conditions of Business for Buyers (Online Only) is not applicable to this lot.