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Emery Kelen, Indian Round Table Conference, London: Emery Kelen, 1930

Unpaginated; letter-press title page with 52 loose hand coloured lithographs of caricatures of the participants of the 1930 Indian Conference, each variously titled within the plate; publisher's grey art-cloth portfolio with ribbon
40.5 x 30.5 x 1.3 cm

The title page has inscribed 'For Kind acceptance of Her Excellency / Lady Willingdon / CI CBE / From sincere friend / Nizam of Hyderabad VII / 1931' (upper edge).

Mir Osman Ali Khan (1886-1967), the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad State and the final reigning monarch prior to the annexation by India in September 1948 via military operation code name Operation Polo, presented this portfolio to Lady Willingdon as a gift. Marie Freeman-Thomas, also known as Lady Willingdon, was wed to Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon (1866-1941), an individual who held the esteemed positions of Viceroy of India (1931-1936) and Governor-General of Canada (1926-1931).

This portfolio has loose plates and is an unnumbered copy unlike the other copies which were numbered and signed by the artist.

The present lot has a group of 52 caricatures measuring 15 x 11 inches (each) from the Indian Round Table Conferences that occurred between 1930 and 1931 and organised by the British Government to discuss constitutional reforms in India.

Emery Kelen was born in Gyor, Hungary in 1896. During the 1920s and 1930s, Kelen worked in Europe illustrating inter-war Europe with his cartoons collaborating with fellow Hungarian, Alois Derso. As witnesses to this history, he drew caricatures of famous diplomats and statesmen of the day and satirical cartoons of their activities. He was also the dedicated pictorial reporter of the meetings and delegates of the League of Nations. As active members of the international press corps, his work was eagerly sought after, providing a humorous daily record of events at a time when cameras were not allowed in the conference rooms. Conferences were one of his key sites, with sought-after drawings produced at the 1925 Locarno Conference, the 1933 London Economic Conference, the 1932 World Disarmament Conference, and at the permanent conferencing of the League of Nations in Geneva. His work was published widely in the European press. He departed Europe on 13 December 1938 aided by friends who recognized the impending dangers facing him due to being Jewish and past public criticism of Hitler's rise to power.

The India Round Table Conference was a series of conferences held in London, England between 1930 and 1932, aimed at discussing and resolving constitutional issues related to India's political status within the British Empire. The conferences brought together Indian political leaders and British officials to negotiate and propose solutions for India's future governance.

As a part of the conferences, Emery Kelen, was commissioned to create a series of caricatures depicting the key participants in the conference. Kelen's caricatures were published in a book titled The India Round Table Conference: Caricatures by Emery Kelen, which was released in 1932.

The book contained 86 caricatures of the conference participants, including Indian leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, as well as British officials such as Winston Churchill and Lord Irwin. Kelen's caricatures were noted for their sharp wit and incisive commentary on the personalities and politics of the participants.

The caricatures were well-received and widely circulated, and they remain a valuable historical record of the India Round Table Conference and the political climate of the time. The book itself is considered a collector's item and is often sought after by those interested in Indian history and political satire.

This lot will be sold in "as is" condition.