A Catalogue of and for the Ages from the 19th Century Shop
- By Michael Stillman
One of Edward Curtis' Indian photographs on the cover of the catalogue.
By Michael Stillman
The 19th Century Shop has issued their 125th catalogue: Rare Books and Manuscripts of All Ages. They might have called it "Rare Books and Manuscripts for All Ages." This is a collection of important, sometimes unique material from some of the greatest names of the past three centuries. From politics and government we find Washington, Lincoln, Disraeli, Paine, and others; literature and poetry offers Shakespeare, Dickens, Twain, Joyce, Keats and more; science has Darwin, Mendel, Watson and Crick, Lyell and others. This just touches the surface, which is all we can do with such a spectacular collection, but here are few of the items you will find.
George Washington's schematic drawing of the chain of command for his planned siege on New York City in 1780. New York was the British stronghold in the colonies, but after they moved some troops to fight Washington in New Jersey (not as many as he thought) and the French planned to blockade the harbor (but they didn't have sufficient forces), the American leader thought he could take the city, and deal a fatal blow to the British. In his drawing, Washington is listed as "Comm. In Chief," while directly under him are Generals Nathaniel Green, Benedict Arnold, and Lafayette. Various other leaders flow down the chart from these three. Arnold, just a few weeks later, would be found to be a traitor, and the British forces in New York were too strong to attack. Fortunately, all would turn out well the following year with the British defeat at Yorktown. Priced at $250,000.
A handwritten draft by Walt Whitman of the poem Song of Myself, which appeared in Leaves of Grass in 1855. The original manuscript for Whitman's Leaves was lost many years ago, but a few earlier drafts are still in existence (the others in institutions). This heavily revised draft would have been written in 1854 or 1855 as Whitman was preparing his masterpiece. On the verso is Whitman's essay he published in the Brooklyn Star in 1854 opposing Sunday prohibition laws. $375,000. The 19th Century Shop also offers a copy of the rare 1855 first edition of Leaves of Grass. $95,000.
Two original glass plate photographs of American Indians by Edward Curtis. Curtis was an artist and photographer who undertook a massive project to photograph Indian culture before it was irreparably changed by assimilation. The result was The North American Indian, published at the turn of the century, containing 2,200 pictures. Most of the glass plates and glass plate photographs were destroyed, leaving only the less detailed photogravure images surviving. These rare original photographs are Walpi Man ($45,000) and Pipe-stem - Oto ($75,000). The latter is seen on the cover of this catalogue.
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A Catalogue of and for the Ages from the 19th Century Shop
- By Michael Stillman
Washington's hand-drawn schematic chain of command.
Gregor Mendel's foundation work for the science of genetics. A monk with evidently ample time to work in his garden, Mendel undertook numerous experiments in crossbreeding plants whereby he was able to establish the manner in which various traits were handed down among generations. His large number of tests enabled him to determine mathematical formulas of probability in the passing of traits. Mendel's pioneering work was first printed in the journal Verhandlungen des Naturforschenden Vereins in Brunn with the title Versuche uber Pflanzen-Hybriden... published in 1866. Only 134 copies were printed, to be distributed to various scientific institutions. $150,000.
The first printing of the Monroe Doctrine. The Monroe Doctrine was issued by President Monroe in 1823 as a warning to European nations who might seek to replace the crumbling Spanish empire in the Americas with one of their own. The doctrine stated that the United States would tolerate no such colonization of the western hemisphere. Though the United States had limited enforcement powers at the time, the warning essentially has held ever since, with the Doctrine most recently employed at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Offered is one of only four copies extant of the first printing of the Monroe Doctrine, from the December 2, 1823, issue of the National Intelligencer. There are only four known copies of this first printing, in two separate states (priority unknown). This one is the same as the Streeter copy. $100,000.
Slave auctions and runaways. Perhaps the most chilling reminders of slavery are the auction and runaway notices. On February 27, 1855, an auction of 60 Very Choice Sugar Plantation Hands was held in New Orleans. Most came from the estate of a recently deceased plantation owner. A few were sold as families, either husband and wife, or mother and very young children. However, separation of children must have come early. Children were sold individually as young as 9 years of age, and while the 9-year-old was described as an "orphan," several in the 10-12 age group were not. An 8-year-old was sold with her mother, so perhaps that was the cut off. Older children are generally described as "good field hand," while younger ones are more often labeled as "useful in field." Prices have been entered by hand, with the lowest being $250 for Fanny, who was 11 years old and did not even get a "useful" description, and $125 for Richard, who was a 50-year-old gardener with "sore legs." The highest price paid was $2,300 for Bob Jackson, one of only two slaves with a listed last name, both good in the field and with machinery, and his wife Hannah, a good field hand. Their ages of 27 and 31 would have made them ideal workers, strong yet experienced. Of course, the buyers would have expected many decades of free labor ahead from their purchases, but emancipation was just eight years away. $17,500.
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A Catalogue of and for the Ages from the 19th Century Shop
- By Michael Stillman
Slave auction notice with prices written in.
The reward posters are from 1792 in New York, and 1860 in Missouri. John Quackenbos offered $5 for "a Negro Fellow, named TOM, about twenty-two years of age" who had run away from his master in New York. John S. Majors of Missouri offered between $25 and $100 for Noel, depending on how far away he was apprehended. This poster includes a woodcut image of a runaway slave. $15,000 each.
Halley's Meteor? In the March-May 1719 issue of Philosophical Transactions, Edmund Halley published an article entitled An account of an extraordinary meteor seen all over England. Halley reported the similarities between it and the one observed by Kepler years earlier. Of course, Halley is most associated with the comet that returns every 75 years and bears his name. This item is bound with two other issues of Philosophical Transactions, one with an article by Halley expressing the view that a hollow earth contains a luminous magnetic fluid, which escapes at the poles, creating the Aurora Borealis. You don't get them all right. $2,800.
This just covers a few of the items available in this catalogue, but should provide a good idea of the importance of the material offered. The 19th Century Shop may be reached at 410-602-3002 or info@19thcenturyshop.com. Their website is found at www.19thcenturyshop.com.
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