The Property of
the late Patrick Matthews Esq.
and of Mrs Mollie Matthews
In the words of Patrick Matthews
The name 'Teddy Edward', goes back over thirty-four years during which time he has established his reputation as one of the most travelled teddy bears in the world. He has been to Timbuctoo in the Sahara Desert, to Khatmandu en route for Everest, and to the bottom of the Grand Canyon as well as New York City and many European countries including the Greek Islands.
But how did it all start?
I was working with Cecil Beaton on a photographic project in his Wiltshire garden and I took a photograph of his cat Timothy White sitting in a bed of nettles. Enlarged and framed we hung it in our three year old daughter's room. This gave Mollie the idea of photographing some of Sarah's toy animals to join Timothy White on the wall. From this the next step was to write simple stories about Teddy Edward, Snowy Toes, the Panda, Bushy the bushbaby and Jasmine her rabbit.
Once the adventures started, with Sarah herself in the earliest books, other bears and animals drifted in and out of the books and films.
We produced nineteen titles, plus reprints, twelve films for the BBC's 'Watch With Mother' series narrated by Richard Baker, postcards, jigsaws etc. and two years of 'Seesaw' magazines which weekly carried a photographic story about Teddy Edward. There are in addition literally hundreds of colour and black and white photographs.
All this was known as 'Teddy Edward Enterprises' and is here presented as a complete package.
The early books, in predominantly black and white, were centred round childrens' holidays at the seaside (Cornwall and Norfolk), on a farm in Dorset, and later further afield in France, Spain, and Greece.
We took 'action' photographs around our water bailiff's cottage beside the River Wey where it was possible to set up out-of-door scenarios without an audience (unlike those in London and the ski slopes which drew curious onlookers).
In the Sahara Teddy Edward and I travelled 500 miles down the River Niger in a pirogue (a hollowed out tree trunk made into a boat) and slept out under unbelievably bright stars each night. I went to India with Sarah, now grown up, on our way to Everest where at 13,000 feet we stayed in a Japanese hotel which gave us a vivid memory of the fiery tip of Everest, the last light we saw that night, the top of the world. That was the highest place in the world, the Grand Canyon one of deepest. Mollie and I booked to ride to the botton of the Canyon on mules to spend the night at Phantom Ranch. The American girl who took our booking said she had been in London a few weeks earlier and had bought all the Teddy Edward books and was enchanted to meet him in person. Enchanted may not have been the word Teddy Edward used to travel to the botton of the Canyon as he had to sit in the guide's saddle bag, but he was given a certificate for getting to the bottom and back.
Teddy Edward was always photographed in natural poses and in situations children would understand, and we purposely never dressed him up, nor his friends, except in the mountains where Teddy Edward proudly wore his Nepalese coat against the cold which was given to him by his panda friend Domtuk (Snowy Toes' twin) who wore one like it.
Peter Bull became a friend and mentioned Teddy Edward in his books and Colonel Bob Henderson was an admirer too. He wanted me to take over 'Good Bears of the World' when he was beginning to find it too large a commitment. Sadly, I was too busy to be able to do this.
The story is unfinished, there are so many unused transparencies and so many possible outlets, not only in the UK but worldwide.
The late Patrick Matthews
'TEDDY EDWARD'
Details
'TEDDY EDWARD'
with golden mohair, deep amber and black glass eyes, black stitched nose, mouth and claws, swivel head, jointed shaped limbs, velvet pads and card lined feet --13in. (33cm.) tall; dressed in his Nepalese coat
Items sold with Teddy Edward:
- Snowy Toes, wearing his brother's Nepalese coat
- Jasmine the rabbit
- Bushy the bushbaby
- Used and unused colour transparencies and black and white negatives
- Mixed collection of black and white and coloured prints and enlargements
- Two boxed commercial copies of Teddy Edward in Nepalese style coats - One rare Teddy Edward glove puppet
- Films: Complete set of 12 BBC'c 'Watch With Mother' films narrated by Richard Baker
- E.M.I 45 rpm record No.FP10022 from BBC Tales of Teddy Edward, narrated by Richard Baker 'At the Seaside' and 'A Rainy Day'
- Miscellaneous props: Helicopter, Bentley Jeep, Castle, Bicycle, Mice from Mouse Factor, Grand Canyon Certificate, chimney from 'contraption' - Complete set of nineteen titles and reprints of Teddy Edward books
- Set of 'Seesaw' magazines with weekly stories
- Jigsaws, postcards, calendar
To be sold with copyright
Whilst the seller confirms that this property is sold with copyright, Christie's can accept no liability in relation to any matters arising as a result of any imperfection in copyright given
See Colour Illustrations
with golden mohair, deep amber and black glass eyes, black stitched nose, mouth and claws, swivel head, jointed shaped limbs, velvet pads and card lined feet --13in. (33cm.) tall; dressed in his Nepalese coat
Items sold with Teddy Edward:
- Snowy Toes, wearing his brother's Nepalese coat
- Jasmine the rabbit
- Bushy the bushbaby
- Used and unused colour transparencies and black and white negatives
- Mixed collection of black and white and coloured prints and enlargements
- Two boxed commercial copies of Teddy Edward in Nepalese style coats - One rare Teddy Edward glove puppet
- Films: Complete set of 12 BBC'c 'Watch With Mother' films narrated by Richard Baker
- E.M.I 45 rpm record No.FP10022 from BBC Tales of Teddy Edward, narrated by Richard Baker 'At the Seaside' and 'A Rainy Day'
- Miscellaneous props: Helicopter, Bentley Jeep, Castle, Bicycle, Mice from Mouse Factor, Grand Canyon Certificate, chimney from 'contraption' - Complete set of nineteen titles and reprints of Teddy Edward books
- Set of 'Seesaw' magazines with weekly stories
- Jigsaws, postcards, calendar
To be sold with copyright
Whilst the seller confirms that this property is sold with copyright, Christie's can accept no liability in relation to any matters arising as a result of any imperfection in copyright given
See Colour Illustrations
Further details
How Teddy Edward Won his Medal
There is a story behind why Teddy Edward wears a medal for skiing which distinguishes him from all other bears and establishes his copyright and prevents any 'passing off'. Snowy Toes is his panda friend who lives in the Swiss Alps near the Junfrau. He is a ski instructor who wears his official instructor's insignia, a blue gentian on a red, white and blue armband. One winter Snowy Toes invited Teddy Edward and some friends to visit him in the mountains. They all loved the white alpine scenery and clear blue skies with snow sparkling in the sunshine. They came to know the birds which live high in the mountains. One day Snowy Toes persuaded Teddy Edward and his friends to learn to ski. In spite of many tumbles they learnt fast; the silence of the mountains and the swish-swish of their skis on the snow was a new and exciting experience. They made such good progress that Snowy Toes challenged them to a race. The birds flew down to watch and to everyone's surprise Teddy Edward took the lead and beat Snowy Toes at the finishing line. "Very well done" said Snowy Toes, "here is a medal you must always wear". "What is more", added Snowy Toes, "When you plan more travels do go to the Himalayas, the highest mountains in the world, where my twin brother Domtuk would be very happy to see you". "I certainly will" said Teddy Edward, and he did which is another story
Captions for colour illustrations on page 4 of 6 total:
Top Row:
1. Red Indians
2. The Magic Box
3. The Yellow Boat
Second Row:
4. The Baker's House
5. The Contraption
6. A Winter Drive
Third Row:
7. The Treasure Hunt
8. Teddy Edward's Magic Journey
9. The Rocket
Bottom Row
10. The Red Castle
11. The Mouse Factory
12. The Mice
Captions for colour illustrations on page 6 of 6
Top Row:
1. Teddy Edward leaves for the USA
2. At the Statue of Liberty
3. The Durango - Silverton Railway
Second Row:
4. The Road to Monument Valley
5. Teddy Edward's overnight camp
6. Teddy Edward rides down the Grand Canyon
Third Row:
7. Going down the river Niger
8. Teddy Edward and a Tuareg
9. A market near Timbuctu
Bottom Row:
10. In Japan
11. The Taj Mahal
12. Teddy Edward and Domtuk
Having worked very closely with Patrick Matthews over the past two years, it is with great sadness that Patrick died after completing his work with me on presenting Teddy Edward for this sale.
It was an honour to have worked with him and a great priviledge to have become his friend
Leyla Maniera
There is a story behind why Teddy Edward wears a medal for skiing which distinguishes him from all other bears and establishes his copyright and prevents any 'passing off'. Snowy Toes is his panda friend who lives in the Swiss Alps near the Junfrau. He is a ski instructor who wears his official instructor's insignia, a blue gentian on a red, white and blue armband. One winter Snowy Toes invited Teddy Edward and some friends to visit him in the mountains. They all loved the white alpine scenery and clear blue skies with snow sparkling in the sunshine. They came to know the birds which live high in the mountains. One day Snowy Toes persuaded Teddy Edward and his friends to learn to ski. In spite of many tumbles they learnt fast; the silence of the mountains and the swish-swish of their skis on the snow was a new and exciting experience. They made such good progress that Snowy Toes challenged them to a race. The birds flew down to watch and to everyone's surprise Teddy Edward took the lead and beat Snowy Toes at the finishing line. "Very well done" said Snowy Toes, "here is a medal you must always wear". "What is more", added Snowy Toes, "When you plan more travels do go to the Himalayas, the highest mountains in the world, where my twin brother Domtuk would be very happy to see you". "I certainly will" said Teddy Edward, and he did which is another story
Captions for colour illustrations on page 4 of 6 total:
Top Row:
1. Red Indians
2. The Magic Box
3. The Yellow Boat
Second Row:
4. The Baker's House
5. The Contraption
6. A Winter Drive
Third Row:
7. The Treasure Hunt
8. Teddy Edward's Magic Journey
9. The Rocket
Bottom Row
10. The Red Castle
11. The Mouse Factory
12. The Mice
Captions for colour illustrations on page 6 of 6
Top Row:
1. Teddy Edward leaves for the USA
2. At the Statue of Liberty
3. The Durango - Silverton Railway
Second Row:
4. The Road to Monument Valley
5. Teddy Edward's overnight camp
6. Teddy Edward rides down the Grand Canyon
Third Row:
7. Going down the river Niger
8. Teddy Edward and a Tuareg
9. A market near Timbuctu
Bottom Row:
10. In Japan
11. The Taj Mahal
12. Teddy Edward and Domtuk
Having worked very closely with Patrick Matthews over the past two years, it is with great sadness that Patrick died after completing his work with me on presenting Teddy Edward for this sale.
It was an honour to have worked with him and a great priviledge to have become his friend
Leyla Maniera