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Provenance:

A gift to Nora Waln, the great aunt of the current owner, by Empress Elizabeth Puyi during the 1920’s, thence by descent within the family. Nora Waln (b. 1895- 1964) was a journalist for the American newspaper Atlantic Monthly, and resided in China from 1920-1934. Chronicling her experiences in THE HOUSE OF EXILE, published 1933, Nora Waln’s memoir offered an unparalleled view into Chinese culture and customs, as well as a glimpse into the daily lives of the Chinese people. After departing China with her husband, an Englishman, George Edward Osland-Hill, the couple lived in Germany until the outbreak of the Second World War. Returning to the United States, Ms. Waln, a vocal and critical opponent of Hitler, became one of the first to write about the rise of Nazism in Germany, in her book, REACHING FOR THE STARS, 1939, which went on to become a best seller. Included within the family’s estate is a collection of letter correspondences from the 1950’s between Ms. Waln and Princess Chichibu of Japan, Former American President Herbert Hoover and Ben Hibbs, editor of the Saturday Evening Post.