An Indian Album, Ex Libris Glenway Wescott and Monroe Wheeler
[Ex Libris Glenway Wescott and Monroe Wheeler] Beaton, Cecil. An Indian Album. First Edition. 1945. Book and dust jacket are both in very good condition—jacket shows small edge tears and very light fraying. This copy is from the library of Glenway Wescott and Monroe Wheeler. Their initials are written on the upper right corner of the flyleaf, “GW – MW.”
World War II gave Cecil Beaton the opportunity to prove himself outside the world of fashion, and much to his own surprise, he did. He went to work for the Royal War Ministry, traveling the world, and on one harrowing occasion, surviving a plane crash. This book is a collection of gorgeous photogravure plates of photographs he took in India while working for the Ministry. Subjects include the glamorous Maharanee of Jaipur, an exclusive colonial club Bombay, sacred Hindu temples, enterprising street merchants, bejeweled Ram Ghopal dancers, and much more.
“The number of holidays in India surprised me. Although Hindus and Moslems [have antipathy] for each other, they enjoy each other’s holidays.”
--Cecil Beaton