Anglo Indian Silk Handkerchief, Lt. Col. William Leith Ross Framed Marcus Adams Photo 1935

This printed silk handkerchief is dedicated to Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) William Leith Ross (b 1884 – d 1960) of Arnage Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This is our favorite type of item due to its fascinating back story.

During the 1930s William Leith Ross served as commandant of a prison for Indian nationalist political prisoners on the Andaman Islands and later the Berhampore Detention Camp, India. This unique printed silk was presented to him thank by the Berhampore staff as an appreciation of their regard for him.

The silk reads ‘To Lt. Col. William. Leith. Ross. M.C (Military Cross) Commandant of the Berhampore Detention Camp. On the eve of his departure.’ We then find a remarkable poem dedicated to William Leith Ross by the staff and associates of the detention camp dated the 8th of July 1935. Prativa Printing Works, Sayedabad.’

William Leith Ross had an illustrious military career; we have provided below only a snap shot of his career:

William Leith Ross served extensively in India throughout his career in the Army. He served in France during WW1 and was present at La Bassée (1914), Messines (1914), Givenchy (1914), Neuve Chapelle (1915) and the Second Battle of Ypres (1915).
He would later go on to work in intelligence gathering and reconnaissance in the Army producing reports and photographs for British high command. He was based in Mesopotamia and the role gave him a unique opportunity to travel by motor vehicle and take part in early forms of aerial reconnaissance.

In 1917 he was recruited to the Dunsterforce. The Dunsterforce was an Allied military force, established in December 1917 and named after its commander, Major-General Lionel Dunsterville. The force was intended to organise local units in northern Iran (Persia) and South Caucasus, to replace the Tsarist army that had fought the Ottoman armies in Armenia. The Russians had also occupied northern Iran in co-operation with the British occupation of southern Iran, to create a cordon to prevent German and Ottoman agents from reaching Central Asia, Afghanistan and India.

William Leith Ross retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1936 and returned to Scotland where he was appointed Inspector of Prisons and subsequently Director of Prisons and Borstals. He retired from the prison service in July 1950.
Reference: National Army Musuem - Captain William Leith-Ross

The silk is housed behind old glass in its original, attractive, gilt frame. The frame itself also has an interesting back story. To the backing board we find the framers label for Marcus Adams. The label reads in full ‘Marcus Adams. Photographer of children. The children’s studio, 43 Dover Street, Piccadilly, London.’

Marcus Algernon Adams (b 1875 d 1959) was a British society photographer noted for his portraits of children.
Adams gained notability for his portraits of children and he took the first official photographs of the Duchess of York and her daughter Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth II). His 1934 photograph of Princess Elizabeth at the age of 8 was used as the portrait for the $20 banknote of the 1935 Series of banknotes of the Canadian dollar.
He joined the Royal Photographic Society in 1914 and gained his Fellowship in 1915. He was made a life Fellow in 1953 and remained a member until his death. He died in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, aged 83.

Reference: Marcus Adams Exhibition – Royal Collection Trust’s online collection.

For an example of an alternative Marcus Adams label design please see RCIN 2943747 – Royal Collection Trust’s online collection.
This is a unique conversation piece with an incredible amount of history to uncover.

Measuring: Frame width 14.5 inch (37 cm) by height 17.25 inch (44 cm). Aperture width 13 inch (33 cm) by height 15.5 inch (40 cm).

Condition: Light foxing to silk.

ITEM ID:13873