A rare glimpse into J.R.R Tolkien’s world
In his very own Hobbit Hole: Photos of J.R.R Tolkien in his study and letters that give rare glimpse into the Lord of the Rings author’s secretive world sell for £40,000 at auction
Photographs and letters providing a glimpse into J.R.R Tolkien’s world have been sold for almost £40,000Archive of images showing author relaxing in his study were taken by society photographer Pamela Chandler Ms Chandler was tasked with producing professional portrait photos for Lord of the Rings author in 1961
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Intimate photographs and letters providing a rare glimpse into J.R.R Tolkien’s secretive world have been sold for almost £40,000.
The archive of images showing the Lord of the Rings author relaxing in his study and in his garden with his wife Edith were taken by society photographer Pamela Chandler – whose reputation led to photographic commissions from celebrities, royalty and major literary publishers during the 1960s.
The collection includes an image of Tolkien in his study with his own hand-drawn map of Middle Earth where The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy was set.
Also among the archive are notebooks kept by Ms Chandler in which she described the Tolkiens as the ‘most adorable people you could care to meet and I can never think of one without the other.’
Among the intimate images that have been sold was one showing J.R.R Tolkien sat in his study with his own hand-drawn map of Middle Earth where The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy was set
The candid photograph providing a rare glimpse into J.R.R Tolkien’s secretive world were taken by society photographer Pamela Chandler – whose reputation led to photographic commissions from celebrities, royalty and major literary publishers during the 1960s
The collection included a group of 64 colour and black and white negatives for the original two shoots of the writer which fetched £18,000
In 1961, Ms Chandler was tasked with producing professional portrait photos for the famously camera-shy writer.
She was soon able to win him over and became firm friends with Tolkien and his wife for the rest of their lives.
In 1966 she was invited back to their home in Oxfordshire to take candid photos of the devoted couple.
One of her prints that sold for £760 shows Tolkien in his study with his own hand-drawn map of Middle Earth.
Meanwhile a group of 64 colour and black and white negatives for the original two shoots fetched for £18,000.
The negatives were sold with copyright, meaning the successful buyer will receive a regular commission every time they are published.
Ms Chandler died in 1993 and her archive of prints, negatives and related correspondence were passed to her sister before it was put up for sale with Reeman Dansie Auctioneers of Colchester, Essex.
The correspondence that Ms Chandler kept includes signed letters she received from both Tolkien and his wife.
One of the letters from the author giving his feedback on the photos for the shoot in his study in 1961 sold for £4,400.
The archive of images show the Lord of the Rings author relaxing in his study (right) and in his garden with his wife Edith (left)
Ms Chandler was tasked with producing professional portrait photos for the famously camera-shy writer in 1961 and was soon able to win him over
Among the images, which have now sold for £40,000, was one showing the famous writer, standing in his garden in 1966
Also among the archive are letters written by the Lord of the Rings author to the photographer Pamela Chandler
Ms Chandler died in 1993 and her archive of prints, negatives and related correspondence were passed to her sister before it was put up for sale with Reeman Dansie Auctioneers of Colchester, Essex
The letter is said to contain a ‘delightful Tolkienism’ where he tells the photographer he hopes she is ‘catching up arrows’.
A second later, dated 1967, which demonstrates his desire for privacy sold for £2,800. In it he is clearly riled by a newspaper article as he tells Ms Chandler how he resented the ‘impertinent intrusion into my privacy’ and that he could ‘stand no more of this nonsense.’
Daniel Wright, of Reeman Dansie Auctioneers, said: ‘Pamela Chandler blazed a trail in the then male dominated world of professional photography.
‘The archive is complete and spans her entire career, but the Tolkien work is the most interesting material because he was such a private man who didn’t like publicity or being photographed.
‘She befriended him and his wife and became his photographer of choice.
‘Tolkien letters are extremely desirable as they don’t come on the market very often.
The archive also included notebooks kept by Pamela in which she described the Tolkiens as the ‘most adorable people you could care to meet and I can never think of one without the other.’
Tolkien, who had a holiday home in Poole, Dorset, died in 1973 at the age of 81 and Edith died in 1971 aged 82.
