Choosing Images for My Book

Choosing images for my book. Not an easy task. But a lovely one...nothing like a photo to whisk you back in time. Here I am holding a sketch of the eldest of the three Cartier brothers: my grandfather has written "Uncle Louis" on the back in soft pencil and still now, nine years after his death, seeing that handwriting brings back a sudden unexpected pang of missing him. Other images he carefully preserved, labelled and passed down include ancestors back to my great-great-great grandparents... and many other colourful characters along the way. In true Downton Abbey style, the bottom left photo taken in the 1930s is of the below-stairs staff who worked for Jacques and Nelly Cartier in Milton Heath, their British country house in Dorking. It's hard to see but they are standing around the same Rolls Royce that Jacques used to take not just on his daily commute to the office, but all the way to India as well.

In fact he became so close to Orr, the chauffeur, over years of traveling with him, that he offered Orr's son a position in the firm's New Bond Street workshop. And in an unexpected twist, the chauffeur's son went on to become one of Cartier's best craftsmen. For those interested in seeing more images, there will be lots in my book: over 100 black and white ones throughout the text and two 8-page glossy inserts to show off some of the jewels and glamorous clients in all their multi-colour glory. In fact, this picture I'm holding didn't even make the cut in the end, which is why I thought I'd share it here instead! #thecartiersbook