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Auction Catalogue Shows Late Prime Minister Collected Cartoons That Ribbed her son Mark
DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, February 3, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- ‘Iron Lady’s’ favourite portrait also included in catalogue
An auction of items belonging to Margaret Thatcher reveals that she collected satirical cartoons by the Daily Mail artist Mac about the misfortunes of her children Carol and Mark.
A consistent theme was humour linked to Mark Thatcher’s dramatic disappearance during the six-day Paris-Dakar rally in 1982. It led to a huge search operation by the Algerian government and was one of the few times that the then prime minister Mrs Thatcher showed her emotions in public.
However traumatising it may have been for her and the family at the time, the auction catalogue shows that the ‘Iron Lady’ collected at least half a dozen cartoons inspired by the misfortunes of Mark, all referencing his temporary disappearance or business activities.
They will appear among a consignment of around three dozen lots in the February 6 sale at Sloane Street Auctions in London as part of a second consignment from the Thatcher family. Another highlight is what is reputedly her favourite portrait of herself.
The auction house secured huge prices for furniture and other items in the first £250,000 sale last November that saw her speech-writing desk take £60,000 hammer against hopes of £1,000-2,000, and a vanity case expected to raise £5,000-8,000 sell for £55,000.
“These cartoons are an important historical corrective,” said Sloane Street Auctions’ owner Dan Hunt. “Mrs Thatcher was famously said to lack a sense of humour, but our catalogue clearly demonstrates that this was not the case.
“It is equally well known that her son’s disappearance was one of the most distressing experiences of her life, with her even breaking down in tears in public at the time – very unlike her – so for her to have acquired several cartoons that would have reminded her of that time is a fascinating insight. Perhaps it was her way of dealing with the trauma and exorcising its ghosts.”
Mac harnessed the character of Mark Thatcher’s son, Michael, to make some of his jokes. In one cartoon, the police, family and staff are seen hunting Number 10 (with Denis checking the drinks cabinet) while a helicopter hovers outside. It is captioned: LITTLE MICHAEL IS MUCH LIKE HIS FATHER – LOST!.
In another, an Arab market scene shows a sequence of stalls with banners advertising
GENUINE MARK THATCHER SHEEP’S EYEBALLS, MARK THATCHER RUGS and MARK THATCHER CAST-OFFS. The caption: I TELL YOU, OMAR, IF BUSINESS DOESN’T PICK UP SOON, I’M TEARING UP HIS CONTRACT.
In a third, published at a time when Mark Thatcher was determinedly keeping out of the media eye, the scene is one where Mrs Thatcher, having disembarked from a plane, is greeted on the red carpet by a group of Arab dignitaries. AS FAR AS BUSINESS IS CONCERNED, MARK’S KEEPING A LOW PROFILE AT THE MOMENT – BUT HAVE YOU MET MY GRANDSON… she says, indicating a small besuited boy smoking a large cigar.
Another cartoon, by the Evening Standard’s JAK shows a camel driver in the desert addressing Mark and his beleaguered co-drivers. Holding a phone he has concealed in his camel’s hump, he hands it to Mark, saying IT’S YOUR MOTHER!
Each of the Mac and Jak cartoons comes framed, hand inscribed and with an estimate of £300-500, with an additional cartoon showing two people trapped in the snow with the handwritten caption: I KEEP WORRYING HOW POOR CAROL THATCHER IS GETTING ON. Dated to February 2009, the drawing was prompted by Carol’s exit as a roving presenter from The One Show after she reportedly made unwise comments.
Another cartoon by Bob, showing David Cameron arming himself with a handbag instead of battlefield weapons – in deference to Lady Thatcher – as he prepares for Brexit negotiations in 2014, has a price tag of £200-400.
Other items of note include the Anne Mackintosh (1944-2014) three-quarter oil portrait of Lady Thatcher seated in Downing Street from 1990, which was commissioned by Sir Jack Harvie and presented to her during a visit to Scotland. It was reputedly lady Thatcher’s favourite portrait of herself. It is expected to fetch £10,000-15,000.
Household furniture, glassware, silver, furnishings and works of art are also included, with estimates from the low hundreds to the low thousands. They include a cased silver model of a dhow, a gift from the Kuwait Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah, in 1981. It has a guide of £2,000-4,000.
The auction takes place two days after the 50th anniversary of the first ballot that led to Lady Thatcher’s accession to the leadership of the Conservative Party.
“We were delighted with the stunning results of the first sale back in November,” said Dan Hunt. “As I said then, these items are imbued with the spirit of the times and helped form the backdrop of some of the most historic moments in our nation’s political history of the past 50 years.
“Now we hope to replicate that success here, with the selection of cartoons, among other items, providing a memorable treat for bidders.
“This is exactly the range and quality of items that used to be offered by Christie’s South Kensington before it closed, and we are happy to don that mantle. Indeed, not only have several of our clients already pointed that out, but we are also delighted to work with Hugh Edmeades, Christie’s South Kensington’s former chairman, as our auctioneer on the rostrum.”
Live online bidding is available via Sloane Street Auctions’ website at www.sloanestreetauctions.com
For further information contact info@lucasfieldmedia.com Tel 07968 952850
Images courtesy of Sloane Street Auctions
High res images here: https://we.tl/t-W5jMubRUoN
Captions
Portrait
The Anne Mackintosh portrait of Mrs Thatcher in Number 10. Thought to be the former prime minister’s favourite portrait of herself, it comes consigned by her family with an estimate of £10,000-15,000.
Mac A to E
Hand inscribed captions adorn each of these Mac cartoons for the Daily Mail. Most relate to Mark Thatcher, with one to Carol, showing that the former PM had a sense of humour when it came to the challenges her children faced.
MAC A
LITTLE MICHAEL IS SO MUCH LIKE HIS FATHER – LOST!
MAC B
I TELL YOU OMAR, IF BUSINESS DOESN’T PICK UP SOON, I’M TEARING UP HIS CONTRACT.
MAC C
…AS FAR AS BUSINESS IS CONCERNED, MARK’S KEEPING A LOW PROFILE AT THE MOMENT – BUT HAVE YOU MET MY GRANDSON…?
MAC D
I KEEP WORRYING ABOUT HOW POOR CAROL THATCHER IS GETTING ON.
MAC E
THERE’S A LOT MORE MONEY IN IT AND WITH A BIT OF LUCK HE WON’T GET LOST.
MAC F
…TONIGHT WE HAVE A SURPRISE GUEST WHO WISHES TO DISCUSS GETTING THE UNEMPLOYED BACK TO WORK…
JAK
IT’S YOUR MOTHER!
BOB
THIS MEANS WAR
About Sloane Street Auctions
Sloane Street Auctions was founded by Mr Daniel Hunt after spending over 30 years as a high-profile gallery owner and dealer, based at his galleries in Lower Sloane Street, London. Daniel Hunt’s intimate knowledge of the upper tiers of the art and antique sectors throughout millennia, from BC to 2022, provides Sloane Street Auctions with unprecedented access to private collections worldwide and the best of access to specific expertise.
Sloane Street Auctions’ primary objective is to work with both our buyers and sellers to provide the art market access to the rarest objects and art - from Classical Antiquities, Icons and Old Masters, right through to the YBAs and beyond.
Sloane Street Auctions takes great pleasure in dealing with people. We aim to provide a seamless and pleasant service, whether buying or selling. Our vision is to unearth the world’s greatest treasures and to match them with the world’s greatest collectors, whether an occasional buyer or a seasoned connoisseur. Sloane Street Auctions prides itself in providing the highest level of client service and discretion.
With Daniel’s contacts spanning over 40 countries worldwide, accumulated over a lifetime in the industry, Sloane Street Auctions empowers our community of connoisseurs and collectors to acquire and consign the greatest of fine art and objects at a highly competitive rate.
With Daniel Hunt’s expertise in curating some of the most renowned private collections worldwide, Sloane Street Auctions has the ability to source a wide variety of extraordinary pieces. Sloane Street Auctions’ concentrates on, but is not limited to, Old Master Drawings and Paintings, European Furniture and Works of Art, Impressionist Art, Modern and Contemporary Art, Photography and Private Sales.
An auction of items belonging to Margaret Thatcher reveals that she collected satirical cartoons by the Daily Mail artist Mac about the misfortunes of her children Carol and Mark.
A consistent theme was humour linked to Mark Thatcher’s dramatic disappearance during the six-day Paris-Dakar rally in 1982. It led to a huge search operation by the Algerian government and was one of the few times that the then prime minister Mrs Thatcher showed her emotions in public.
However traumatising it may have been for her and the family at the time, the auction catalogue shows that the ‘Iron Lady’ collected at least half a dozen cartoons inspired by the misfortunes of Mark, all referencing his temporary disappearance or business activities.
They will appear among a consignment of around three dozen lots in the February 6 sale at Sloane Street Auctions in London as part of a second consignment from the Thatcher family. Another highlight is what is reputedly her favourite portrait of herself.
The auction house secured huge prices for furniture and other items in the first £250,000 sale last November that saw her speech-writing desk take £60,000 hammer against hopes of £1,000-2,000, and a vanity case expected to raise £5,000-8,000 sell for £55,000.
“These cartoons are an important historical corrective,” said Sloane Street Auctions’ owner Dan Hunt. “Mrs Thatcher was famously said to lack a sense of humour, but our catalogue clearly demonstrates that this was not the case.
“It is equally well known that her son’s disappearance was one of the most distressing experiences of her life, with her even breaking down in tears in public at the time – very unlike her – so for her to have acquired several cartoons that would have reminded her of that time is a fascinating insight. Perhaps it was her way of dealing with the trauma and exorcising its ghosts.”
Mac harnessed the character of Mark Thatcher’s son, Michael, to make some of his jokes. In one cartoon, the police, family and staff are seen hunting Number 10 (with Denis checking the drinks cabinet) while a helicopter hovers outside. It is captioned: LITTLE MICHAEL IS MUCH LIKE HIS FATHER – LOST!.
In another, an Arab market scene shows a sequence of stalls with banners advertising
GENUINE MARK THATCHER SHEEP’S EYEBALLS, MARK THATCHER RUGS and MARK THATCHER CAST-OFFS. The caption: I TELL YOU, OMAR, IF BUSINESS DOESN’T PICK UP SOON, I’M TEARING UP HIS CONTRACT.
In a third, published at a time when Mark Thatcher was determinedly keeping out of the media eye, the scene is one where Mrs Thatcher, having disembarked from a plane, is greeted on the red carpet by a group of Arab dignitaries. AS FAR AS BUSINESS IS CONCERNED, MARK’S KEEPING A LOW PROFILE AT THE MOMENT – BUT HAVE YOU MET MY GRANDSON… she says, indicating a small besuited boy smoking a large cigar.
Another cartoon, by the Evening Standard’s JAK shows a camel driver in the desert addressing Mark and his beleaguered co-drivers. Holding a phone he has concealed in his camel’s hump, he hands it to Mark, saying IT’S YOUR MOTHER!
Each of the Mac and Jak cartoons comes framed, hand inscribed and with an estimate of £300-500, with an additional cartoon showing two people trapped in the snow with the handwritten caption: I KEEP WORRYING HOW POOR CAROL THATCHER IS GETTING ON. Dated to February 2009, the drawing was prompted by Carol’s exit as a roving presenter from The One Show after she reportedly made unwise comments.
Another cartoon by Bob, showing David Cameron arming himself with a handbag instead of battlefield weapons – in deference to Lady Thatcher – as he prepares for Brexit negotiations in 2014, has a price tag of £200-400.
Other items of note include the Anne Mackintosh (1944-2014) three-quarter oil portrait of Lady Thatcher seated in Downing Street from 1990, which was commissioned by Sir Jack Harvie and presented to her during a visit to Scotland. It was reputedly lady Thatcher’s favourite portrait of herself. It is expected to fetch £10,000-15,000.
Household furniture, glassware, silver, furnishings and works of art are also included, with estimates from the low hundreds to the low thousands. They include a cased silver model of a dhow, a gift from the Kuwait Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah, in 1981. It has a guide of £2,000-4,000.
The auction takes place two days after the 50th anniversary of the first ballot that led to Lady Thatcher’s accession to the leadership of the Conservative Party.
“We were delighted with the stunning results of the first sale back in November,” said Dan Hunt. “As I said then, these items are imbued with the spirit of the times and helped form the backdrop of some of the most historic moments in our nation’s political history of the past 50 years.
“Now we hope to replicate that success here, with the selection of cartoons, among other items, providing a memorable treat for bidders.
“This is exactly the range and quality of items that used to be offered by Christie’s South Kensington before it closed, and we are happy to don that mantle. Indeed, not only have several of our clients already pointed that out, but we are also delighted to work with Hugh Edmeades, Christie’s South Kensington’s former chairman, as our auctioneer on the rostrum.”
Live online bidding is available via Sloane Street Auctions’ website at www.sloanestreetauctions.com
For further information contact info@lucasfieldmedia.com Tel 07968 952850
Images courtesy of Sloane Street Auctions
High res images here: https://we.tl/t-W5jMubRUoN
Captions
Portrait
The Anne Mackintosh portrait of Mrs Thatcher in Number 10. Thought to be the former prime minister’s favourite portrait of herself, it comes consigned by her family with an estimate of £10,000-15,000.
Mac A to E
Hand inscribed captions adorn each of these Mac cartoons for the Daily Mail. Most relate to Mark Thatcher, with one to Carol, showing that the former PM had a sense of humour when it came to the challenges her children faced.
MAC A
LITTLE MICHAEL IS SO MUCH LIKE HIS FATHER – LOST!
MAC B
I TELL YOU OMAR, IF BUSINESS DOESN’T PICK UP SOON, I’M TEARING UP HIS CONTRACT.
MAC C
…AS FAR AS BUSINESS IS CONCERNED, MARK’S KEEPING A LOW PROFILE AT THE MOMENT – BUT HAVE YOU MET MY GRANDSON…?
MAC D
I KEEP WORRYING ABOUT HOW POOR CAROL THATCHER IS GETTING ON.
MAC E
THERE’S A LOT MORE MONEY IN IT AND WITH A BIT OF LUCK HE WON’T GET LOST.
MAC F
…TONIGHT WE HAVE A SURPRISE GUEST WHO WISHES TO DISCUSS GETTING THE UNEMPLOYED BACK TO WORK…
JAK
IT’S YOUR MOTHER!
BOB
THIS MEANS WAR
About Sloane Street Auctions
Sloane Street Auctions was founded by Mr Daniel Hunt after spending over 30 years as a high-profile gallery owner and dealer, based at his galleries in Lower Sloane Street, London. Daniel Hunt’s intimate knowledge of the upper tiers of the art and antique sectors throughout millennia, from BC to 2022, provides Sloane Street Auctions with unprecedented access to private collections worldwide and the best of access to specific expertise.
Sloane Street Auctions’ primary objective is to work with both our buyers and sellers to provide the art market access to the rarest objects and art - from Classical Antiquities, Icons and Old Masters, right through to the YBAs and beyond.
Sloane Street Auctions takes great pleasure in dealing with people. We aim to provide a seamless and pleasant service, whether buying or selling. Our vision is to unearth the world’s greatest treasures and to match them with the world’s greatest collectors, whether an occasional buyer or a seasoned connoisseur. Sloane Street Auctions prides itself in providing the highest level of client service and discretion.
With Daniel’s contacts spanning over 40 countries worldwide, accumulated over a lifetime in the industry, Sloane Street Auctions empowers our community of connoisseurs and collectors to acquire and consign the greatest of fine art and objects at a highly competitive rate.
With Daniel Hunt’s expertise in curating some of the most renowned private collections worldwide, Sloane Street Auctions has the ability to source a wide variety of extraordinary pieces. Sloane Street Auctions’ concentrates on, but is not limited to, Old Master Drawings and Paintings, European Furniture and Works of Art, Impressionist Art, Modern and Contemporary Art, Photography and Private Sales.
Julia Macquisten
Lucas Field Media
info@lucasfieldmedia.com
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