Una tropical hand camera
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VA… Read more The former property of Captain J. B. L. Noel,official photographer on the 1922 and 1924 Everest Expeditions
Una tropical hand camera

Details
Una tropical hand camera
James A. Sinclair, London; quarter-plate, polished teak and lacquered-brass fittings and binding strips, black leather bellows, a Photo Union, Erfurt Series IV Union Doppel-Anastigmat f/4.5 135mm. lens no. 1248 in a dial-set Compur shutter, a Schneider Xenar f/2.8 7.5cm. lens no. 1739421 in a Compur shutter, five double darkslides and a Plaubel rollfilm back, in maker's fitted leather case; six 19 x 24 inch photographs of Everest, each signed John Noel and with pencil caption on reverse and ink stamped COPYRIGHT MT. EVEREST COMMITTEE; John Noel (1927, reprinted 1989), Through Tibet to Everest; and a modern photograph of Noel with this Una camera
Provenance
Captain John B. L. Noel, and thence to the present vendor.
Literature
https://www.mounteverest.uk.com/index.aspx
J. B. L. Noel (1927), Through Tibet to Everest.
Sandra Noel (2003), Everest Pioneer: The Photographs of Captain John Noel.
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.
Further details
End of Sale

The next sales takes place on:
14 June
Leica, Nikon and 35mm Cameras, including
property from the Fred Krughoff Collection

6 September
Cameras and Photographic Equipment,
including a collection of subminiature
and disguised cameras

15 November
Cameras, Magic Lanterns and Optical Toys

For information about buying or selling
at auction please contact
Michael Pritchard on
+44 (0)20 7752 3279 or mpritchard@christies.com,
or see: www.christies.com/cameras

Lot Essay

The note signed by Noel accompanying the photograph of him holding this Una camera states: '12.2.78...the camera I am seen holding was built by Messrs. Newman and Sinclair of London in 1922, for my use in making the still pictures for the Everest Expeditions, for which I was official photographer in 1922 and 1924. It was made of seasoned teak, with brass bindings, and remained completely unaffected by the extremes of temperature and rugged use... [signed] Captain J. Noel'

John Noel (1890-1989) led an unauthorised expedition into Tibet in 1913 in an attempt to chart the route to Everest and became the first European to get within forty miles of the mountain before he was turned back by Tibetan forces. In 1919 after active war service he presented his findings to the Royal Geographical Society and a reconnaissance expedition was mounted in 1921 which he was invited to join but he was unable to get leave from the army. In order to join the 1922 expedition Noel resigned his army commission and joined as official photographer, producing moving and still pictures. For the 1924 expedition Noel undertook to raise £8000 and to pay his own expenses and in returned was granted copyright on all photographic material. He aimed to recover his costs through the exhibition of film and selling of postcards and prints of the expedition.

The 1924 expedition resulted in the loss of George Leigh-Mallory and Andrew Irvine on the mountain, believed by some, including Noel, to have reached the summit. Noel was the recipient of Mallory's last written note giving him instructions on where he and Irvine could best be filmed on their fateful climb. Mallory's body was found in 1999 and reburied on the mountain. Searches continue to be mounted for the camera he and Irvine carried which might prove whether they reached the summit. Noel was convinced the pair had conquered Everest's summit.

Noel's commercial postcard venture proved successful with images taken during the 1922 expedition being posted from the 1924 base camp via India (see lot 322a). The cards announced the film to be shown at the Scala cinema in London in November 1924. Noel's Newman Sinclair motion picture camera was given to the Science Museum. Thes camera offered here was used to make the still photographs during the two expeditions and took the last photographs of Mallory and Irvine leaving base camp.

The photographs in this lot are not offered with copyright.

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