Photography, Prints And Ephemera Auction At Pook & Pook Set For Aug. 18
Online Sale Rich In Historical Material
By Cynthia Beech Lawrence - August 13, 2021
The Wednesday, Aug. 18, Photography, Prints and Ephemera Auction at Pook & Pook will feature a broad range of rare and historic items, with collections of New York City history, Native American, African American, political ephemera, and early advertising items. The 400 lots on offer span nearly 300 years of American history, with many primary sources that illuminate defining moments and events. These items tell a history of the United States firsthand, as it happened. The highlight of the sale is an important piece of New York City history, famously known as the Montgomerie Charter, The Charter of the City of New-York (est. $30,000-$50,000). One of 12 known copies of the 1735 first edition, printed in New York by John Peter Zenger, it served as the citys governing charter for more than a century. Colonial administrator John Montgomerie presided over the issuance of the charter, put into law in 1732. Peter Zenger was delayed in printing the charter due to his arrest and famous trial for libel. For some time, it seemed the charter would never be printed. No New York lawyers would defend Zenger against the accusations made by William Cosby, who was the Kings Colonial Governor. Finally, Andrew Hamilton, a Philadelphia lawyer, stepped in and conducted a spirited defense, arguing that defamatory statements were not libelous if they could be proven true. The result, Zengers acquittal, established the basis for freedom of the press, laid groundwork for the First Amendment, and enabled printing of the charter to resume. A rare Liberty Triumphant, or the Downfall of Oppression (est. $3,000-$5,000), hand-colored 18th-century political cartoon engraving, attributed to Henry Dawkins, offers a glimpse of life in America soon after the Boston Tea Party but before imposition of the Intolerable Acts. Britain is unusually situated on the left side of the ocean, with the devil whispering into Lord Norths ear and ministers and East India Tea Company merchants complaining of their losses. On the right side of the ocean, colonists dressed as Native Americans and the Sons of Liberty are led by an Indian princess while the goddess Liberty and winged Fame look down upon them with divine favor, saying Behold the Ardor of my sons and let not their brave Actions be buried in Oblivion. Ships loaded with tea depart for Britain. These were heady times, and the celebratory cartoon captures the importance of the Boston Tea Party as a rallying point in resisting British rule. There are many examples of the unvarnished history of America. A rare, early anti-slavery broadside is significant for many reasons. Sclaven Handel (Slave Trade) (est. $4,000-$6,000), printed in German by Samuel Saur for Tobias Hirte, dated 1794, printed in Philadelphia, is a rare illustrated example from the early period of the American anti-slavery movement. It was the first publication of 12 famous woodcuts depicting the horrors of slavery. The author, Tobias Hirte, was a Pennsylvania Moravian itinerant apothecary, entrepreneur, and polymath whose eccentric conduct ran against the grain of his era in every community in which he lived. So colorful was he that his character and adventures were later immortalized by Rudyard Kipling. There are only three known copies of this broadside. Another broadside not to miss is the Coffin Handbill (est. $4,000-$6,000). Published by John Binns in 1828, the handbill was propaganda distributed during Andrew Jacksons 1828 presidential campaign against John Quincy Adams. This was the first of a series of pamphlets issued by Adams supporters attacking Jacksons character. Jackson was accused of executing six militiamen during the Creek War, represented by six coffins across the top of the bill, and also ordering the massacre of an Indian village, coffins below, and, pictured center, stabbing Samuel Jackson to death with a sword cane. The election descended into the dirtiest political fight our young nation had witnessed, and the Coffin Handbill became an iconic political artifact. An extensive collection of Native American Indian photographs is an important documentation of American history, as it happened. Congress ordered a U.S. Geological Survey the day after Nebraska became a state in 1867. Headed by Dr. Ferdinand Hayden, the scope of the survey grew to include all territories adjacent to the Rocky Mountains. From 1867 to 1883, Hayden reported on aspects of geography, geology, botany, and ethnology. Accompanied by photographers such as William Henry Jackson and Alexander Gardner, the survey brought back hundreds of portraits of the Native American nations they encountered. Featured in the sale are 20 lots of cabinet card photographs from the survey; Grey Eagle - Apache, Timothy - Nez Perce, Esa-Ha-Bith or Milky Way - Comanche, and Ouray - Ute Chief, are but a few of the portraits. The Indian Appropriations Act of 1851 led to the establishment of reservations. A photograph of the Otoe Delegation, dated January 1881 (est. $800-$1,200), captures leaders of the Otoe Nation in Washington, D.C., negotiating the forced sale of their Nebraska lands and purchase of a reservation in Oklahoma. They were, in fact, fighting for their existence. The last Apache holdout, the legendary Geronimo, is the subject of a portrait by C.S. Fly (est. $2,000-$4,000), dated 1886, before his surrender to General Crook on March 27. The final campaign to capture Geronimo required at least 5,000 soldiers and 500 Indian auxiliaries, and covered five months and 1,645 miles of territory. At the time of this photograph, however, Geronimo had not yet fully conceded. On the subsequent trek to Fort Bowie, Geronimo and a few of his small band escaped back into the Sierra Madre, not surrendering again until September. Rounding out the sale is a selection of books for every interest, including the works of Twain, Dickens, Goethe, Irving, and Scott. First editions include the important autobiography My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass, 1885 (est. $300-$500), and Gone With the Wind. An Arthur Rackham signed copy of A Midsummer-Nights Dream, edition numbered 747 out of 1,000, published by William Heinemann, London, 1908 (est. $400-$600), is not to be missed. The famous account of the journey now known as Cooks First Voyage, An Account of the Voyages undertaken by the Order of His Present Majesty for Making Discoveries in the Southern Hemisphere, by John Hawkesworth, printed for W. Strahan and T. Cadell, London, 1773, is believed to be the second and best edition (est. $800-$1,600). These are just a few of the many highlights. The broad range of items spans the history and experience of America, moments of great importance alongside everyday circuses and Fourth of July celebrations, famous figures, and regular families posing proudly outside their storefronts. The sale is a fascinating treasure trove of rare and early documents, of history related firsthand, and lost worlds captured on film. The gallery preview exhibition for this auction begins on Monday, Aug. 16, at 10 a.m. All bidding for this auction will take place on Bidsquare.com and Invaluable.com. For questions regarding condition or requests for additional photographs, email conditions@pookandpook.com. For other information, call 610-269-4040.
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