Agatha Christie – Original London Express Press Photograph – 1973 – Shields Gazette Archive

Description

A scarce original black-and-white press photograph of Agatha Christie, dating from 1973 and preserved within the photographic archive of the Shields Gazette.

Christie is shown seated at a table in later life, smiling directly towards the camera and wearing a boldly patterned blouse, spectacles and a large decorative brooch. The image is informal, warm and immediately recognisable, presenting the world-famous crime novelist away from the more formal studio portraits usually associated with her.

The reverse carries an original London Express News and Feature Services copyright stamp, together with a Shields Gazette Library stamp and a clear archive date of:

9 SEP 1973

A small retained newspaper cutting identifies the subject:

“AGATHA CHRISTIE … her mysteries still enthral.”

The name “AGATHA CHRISTIE” has also been written in manuscript at the top of the reverse.

This combination of original agency stamp, newspaper-library provenance, contemporary date and retained identification gives the photograph strong documentary integrity as a genuine working press print rather than a later reproduction.

Agatha Christie in 1973

By 1973, Agatha Christie was already one of the most successful and widely read writers in the world. Her detective fiction had created two of the genre’s most enduring characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, while titles including The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, And Then There Were None and The ABC Murders had become classics of twentieth-century crime fiction.

The date is also significant. Christie was still actively publishing in 1973: Postern of Fate, the final Tommy and Tuppence novel she wrote, appeared that year. Contemporary first editions remain readily collectable, reinforcing the continuing strength of the Christie market.

The photograph therefore dates from the final phase of Christie’s extraordinary career, three years before her death in 1976.

Provenance

The verso preserves several useful layers of contemporary press evidence:

• London Express News and Feature Services copyright stamp;
• Shields Gazette Library stamp;
• archive date of 9 September 1973;
• manuscript identification of Agatha Christie;
• retained newspaper caption identifying her and referring to the continuing appeal of her mysteries.

These features materially strengthen the photograph over an anonymous or uncaptioned vintage portrait.

Original press photographs of Christie herself are much less commonly encountered than photographs relating to adaptations of her works. Current specialist stock is sparse; one dealer presently asks £825 for a black-and-white photograph of Christie seated at a desk, although that is a high-end specialist asking price rather than a direct market equivalent.

Condition

Good to very good condition overall for an original working press photograph dating from 1973.

The image remains sharp and strongly contrasted, with good facial detail.

There is general age-related toning, minor surface wear and handling marks, and modest edge and corner wear consistent with newspaper-library use. Some visible surface abrasion and marking is present towards the darker upper-left portion of the image.

The reverse shows normal archive use, together with the London Express copyright stamp, Shields Gazette Library stamp, 9 September 1973 date, manuscript identification and retained newspaper caption. There are small areas of adhesive residue and minor staining.

Please study both photographs carefully as they form an integral part of the description.

Subject: Agatha Christie
Date: 1973
Archive date: 9 September 1973
Agency: London Express News and Feature Services
Photographer: Uncredited
Provenance: Shields Gazette photographic archive
Size: 20.2 × 15.4 cm
Format: Original black-and-white press photograph
Verso: London Express copyright stamp, Shields Gazette Library stamp, manuscript identification and retained newspaper caption
Modern reproduction: No

Authenticity

This photograph has been handled, inspected and catalogued in-house at Hornseys.

Its identity and period status are supported directly by the surviving London Express copyright stamp, Shields Gazette archive date and contemporary identification of Agatha Christie.

It is an original 1973 working press photograph, not a modern reproduction.

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