A handmade Easter card from Eric Clapton to Pattie Boyd, 1970s, in coloured felt pens on a folded sheet of white paper, the front reading HAPPY EASTER in multicoloured block lettering, above a cartoon sketch of Humpty Dumpty, opening to reveal Clapton's Easter message inside in coloured felt pens WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GET UP AND GIVE ME SOME BREAKFAST!, signed Love, EL.; together with a Christmas card from Eric Clapton to Pattie Boyd, addressed To my beloved Nell and signed with all of my love, Ell, the front of the card with a printed illustration of Clapton as Santa Claus, with additional hand embellishment in black ink to greeting Hurray Its Christmas and to Santa's ermine fur; and a Christmas gift tag, inscribed in blue ballpoint pen in Clapton's hand Have a lovely christmas darling - I love you, El xxx
the largest 11³⁄₄ x 8¹⁄₄ in. (29.8 x 21 cm.)

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Lot Essay

Eric Clapton's nickname for Pattie Boyd was Nell, Nelly or Nello, while she called him El. In his 2007 autobiography, Eric Clapton explained the origin of the nickname: Calling her Pattie's really meant acknowledging that she was still George's wife, so as a kind of subconscious sidestep I nicknamed her 'Nell' or 'Nelly', sometimes 'Nello'. She didn't seem to mind, even though it meant becoming known in this persona by everyone involved in her new life. I suppose I may have been paying homage to my favourite great-aunt, or just trying to relegate her to a sort of barmaid status, so that I wasn't so much in awe of her.