Swann Galleries’ third iteration of “Focus on Women,” an auction dedicated to the contributions of women to art, life, and society, brought $361,090, a total more than the presale estimate for the auction, with archives and literature among the leading items of the sale.
The sale was led by a family archive of photographs and letters of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, which included 45 photos of Gilman and a typed draft of the comedic play, “A Pretty Idiot,” written by Gilman and Grace Ellery Channing, among other items. The lot brought $60,000. Also related to Gilman was a family association set of “The Forerunner,” a complete run of seven volumes published from 1909 to 1916, which earned $22,500.
Further archives of note included those once belonging to Fanny Stevenson, which documented her travels in the American West and Vailima in Samoa ($25,000); artist Mary Beth Edelson with an archive of working files and correspondence ($7,000); and travel diaries and photo albums from Loretta Belle Tulian Eaton ($5,250).
Top-selling literature included a first edition of “Sojourner Truth’s Narrative of Sojourner Truth, a Northern Slave,” Boston, 1850 ($20,000); Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” London, 1817 ($13,750); and a first trade edition of “Helena Bochoráková-Dittrichová’s Z Mého Detství Drevoryt,” Prague, 1929, the first graphic novel ever published by a woman ($7,500). Religious text was on offer with Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s “The Woman’s Bible,” New York, 1898, signed and inscribed by Stanton ($13,750), and the Bible translated by Julia Evelina Smith into English (Smith was the first woman to accomplish this feat), ($4,750). Also of note was Louisa May Alcott’s autograph script for a performance of “Mrs. Jarleys Waxworks,” ca. 1867 to 1879 ($4,750).
Additional highlights included works by Cindy Sherman and Flor Garduño, ephemera related to Seneca Falls, Ohio women’s rights conventions and the women's suffrage movement, and a hotel register related to female baseball players.
Prices reported include buyer’s premium.
To learn more, visit www.swanngalleries.com.