Two original double weight photographs of Raymond Chandler, 1945

N.p. N.p., Circa 1945. Two vintage double weight portrait photographs of writer Raymond Chandler at home with his pipe and his pet cat Taki, taken in 1945 for "Harper's Bazaar." Stamp of photographer John Engstead on the versos.

Taki was Chandler's constant companion for two decades, the writer affectionately calling the cat "his secretary." In 1945, Chandler wrote in a letter, "[Taki] goes with us wherever we go journeying, remembers all the places she has been to before and is usually quite at home anywhere. [...] Sometimes she looks at me with a rather peculiar expression (she is the only cat I know who will look you straight straight in the eye) and I have a suspicion that she is keeping a diary, because the expression seems to be saying: 'Brother, you think you’re pretty good most of the time, don’t you? I wonder how you’d feel if I decided to publish some of the stuff I’ve been putting down at odd moments.'"

John Engstead worked prolifically as a freelance photographer throughout the 1940s and 1950s, shooting for "Harper's Bazaar," "Collier's," "Esquire," "Life," "Look," "Vogue," and many others. He is best remembered today for his celebrity portraiture, and his archive is today held by the Motion Picture and Television Photo Archive.

8 x 10 inches. About Fine.

[Book #170511]