American Historical Ephemera & Photography

[WORLD WAR II]. Press gallery pass for Winston Churchill's address to the United States Joint Congress. [Washington, DC], 26 December 1941. 4 1/4 x 3 1/4 in. printed card with red stamps. Later pencil notation to verso. 

On 26 December 1941, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Congress approved declarations of war and formally allied the United States with the Allied Powers. Prime Minister Churchill visited Washington in late December and addressed a joint session of Congress and an eager crowd. His 30-minute speech addressing the coming American participation in the war was met with enthusiastic applause. 

[With:] Invitation. [Washington, DC], [1951]. 7 1/4 x 4 7/8 in. engraved invitation, with original envelope. Completed in manuscript for Philip James Welch (1895-1963) and his wife, a U.S. Representative from Missouri. 

The invitation was extended by the British Ambassador Sir Oliver Franks (1905-1992) on the occasion of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Prince Philip. The event appears to be a late afternoon reception at the British Embassy. 

[Also with:] Postcard with photographic image of King Geoge VI (1894-1952), Winston Churchill, and Queen Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Toronto: E.H. Wilkinson & Co., [1941?]. 3 1/2 x 5 3/8 in. postcard. Postally unused. The image was taken in September 1940 at Buckingham Palace after the Palace had been damaged during the Blitz.