Discover the story behind two rare photographs of Martin Luther King Jr. and Lal Bahadur Shastri, exploring their historic meeting in London, and the significance of the original colour film.
8 September 2026
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A Rare Encounter Captured on Film
Featured in our 8-14 September Open House auction, we are pleased to offer an extraordinary pair of colour slide photographs depicting a meeting between Dr Martin Luther King Jr. and Lal Bahadur Shastri, Prime Minister of India, in London on 6 December 1964.
Taken just days before Dr King's acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, the photographs capture a remarkable moment between two of the twentieth century's most significant advocates for social and political change. Preserved on their original film, the images provide a rare and intimate record of an encounter between leading figures whose philosophies were profoundly influenced by the principles of non-violent action championed by Mahatma Gandhi.
Lot 310 | Edward Hancock (1929-20180, a group of rare colour slide photographs, £200-400
The Photographer Behind the Lens
The photographs come from the archive of Edward (Ted) Hancock, a photographer whose career spanned some of the most exciting decades of British photojournalism.
Born in Guiseley, West Yorkshire, in 1929, Hancock moved to London as a teenager and established himself as a freelance photographer working for Fleet Street agencies, from the late 1950s through to the mid-1970s. His work regularly appeared in the national press, documenting a broad spectrum of public life, from sport and entertainment to royalty and international affairs.
During his career, Hancock photographed an impressive array of personalities, including Muhammad Ali, Joe Bugner, Henry Cooper and George Best, alongside members of the Royal Family, visiting heads of state and celebrities from the worlds of stage and screen. His reputation extended beyond Britain, and he was reportedly the preferred photographer of the Sultan of Brunei, who invited Hancock to relocate and become his family's resident photographer, an offer he ultimately declined.
Lot 310 | Edward Hancock (1929-20180, a group of rare colour slide photographs, £200-400
A Rare Colour Record
The two photographs offered at auction are presented as the original Kodak 'safety film' medium-format colour slides in 6 x 6 square format, almost certainly taken using Hancock's trusted Rolleiflex camera.
While black-and-white press photography dominated newspaper publication during the period, surviving colour transparencies from working photojournalists are often considerably scarcer. As a result, these images provide not only a historical record but also a fascinating insight into the working archive of a professional Fleet Street photographer at a time when colour photography remained comparatively specialised.
The images show Martin Luther King Jr. and Lal Bahadur Shastri together with accompanying officials during their London meeting of December 1964. Capturing a convergence of civil rights, diplomacy and international politics, the photographs encapsulate a moment of global significance.
Lot 310 | Edward Hancock (1929-20180, a group of rare colour slide photographs, £200-400
The photographs, alongside many other varied lots feature in our Open House auction, running from the 8-14 September.
Viewing is available at our Stansted Mountfitchet Auction Rooms at the following times:
Wednesday 9 September | 10am-3pm
Thursday 10 September | 10am-3pm
Friday 11 September | 10am-3pm
Monday 14 September | 10am-3pm
openhouse@sworder.co.uk | 01279 817778
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