Autographs

1885 Autograph Letter Signed by Venus in Furs author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, the namesake of “Masochism”

Leopold von SACHER-MASOCH (1836-1895) was an Austrian journalist and author, whose 1870 novella, Venus in Furs, offered the first literary depiction of female sexual domination, male subjugation, and eroticism derived from pain and suffering, based on the author’s own experiences. The term “Masochism” was coined in 1886 by psychiatrist Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing after Sacher-Masoch, well known for his submissive inclinations, especially towards dominant women wearing fur.

Autograph Letter Signed, 1 page, 221 x 144 mm. (8 5/8 x 5 1/8 in.), Leipzig, 1885, in German. Not translated.

Usual folds, tape repair on verso to center fold at right margin, minor tears to right margin not affecting content, light soiling, overall very good condition.

(EXA 5656) $400

Captain Tunis Craven, in his final letter to friend John A. Dahlgren before he went down in the ironclad Tecumseh at Mobile Bay, asks to have a 16 year old Landsman transferred off the doomed vessel: “there is no chance for a boy, in such craft as this.” – With a sentimental endorsement by Dahlgren: “the last from my old friend…“

(Civil War: Battle of Mobile Bay) John A. DAHLGREN (1809-1870) Autograph Endorsement Signed “JAD” at the conclusion of Tunis Augustus Madonough CRAVEN (1813-1864) Autograph Letter Signed “T. Aug. Craven“, 3pp., 204 x 127 mm. (8 x 5 in.), aboard the USS Tecumseh, 13 July [1864].

Craven’s final letter to his friend Dahlgren, requesting a new ship for a 16 year old landsman, declaring that the ill-fated U.S.S. Tecumseh: “there is no chance for a boy, in such a craft as this.” Only 23 days prior to the lightening-quick sinking of the Tecumseh by Confederate torpedo, in which Craven and most of his crew lost their lives, Craven asks his friend Dahlgren to obtain a transfer for a young landsman, thus sparing him the most likely fate of death aboard the Tecumseh:

“I wish to ask your kind offices, in behalf of a Son of a friend, the late Capt. Stephen B. Wilson USN. Wm A. Wilson Land[sman]. aged 16, was recently transferred to this vessel, from the Minnesota; I accidentally learned of his origin, and have satisfied myself of his identity. He has entered the service, with his Father’s consent, and must work it out; but there is no chance for a boy, in such a craft as this; Can you send him to a Ship, where he can learn, and be advanced? He has had a fair school education. I asked you yesterday if you wanted a Comdg Officer for some small cruising vessel. I can hire Actg Master Chas. F. Langley, nearly two years attached to the Acacia, and who was ten months, in this Squadron; a most excellent officer— capable; full of energy and systematic. I shall give him a high testimonial of character— if you can give him a suitable command, and will give me an Act[in]g Master or Ensign in his place. I will be glad to see Mr. Langly [sic] advanced— but do not wish to part with him unless for his advantage.”

Below Craven’s closing, Dahlgren writes: “the last from my old friend— A month later he perished with his Monitor in entering Mobile“. Sadly, Dahlgren was unable to grant Craven’s request. William A. Wilson is listed among those who died aboard the Tecumseh on 5 August 1864.¹

The Ironclad U.S.S. Tecumseh, which incidentally included two Dahlgren guns in its compliment, led a group of four ironclads ahead of a line of the more vulnerable wooden ships through the narrow passage into Mobile Bay on the morning of 5 August 1864. When the Tecumseh struck a submerged mine (or torpedo as they were called at the time), the ship sank in under a minute taking Craven and most of the crew with her. When the sinking threatened to block the forward passage of the entire fleet under Farragut’s command, the admiral famously decided to break the line and steer his flagship Hartford around the other ships through a known minefield (allegedly declaring “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”). Farragut’s bold move proved to be one of the key tactical decisions that won the battle for the Union.

Tunis A. Craven served in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War, dying in action when the vessel under his command, the USS Tecumseh, was torpedoed and instantly sunk in the Battle of Mobile Bay on 5 August 1864.Craven also commanded the USS Libertad, Corwin, Mohawk, Crusader, and Tuscarora.

John A. Dahlgren is best known as the “Father of American Naval Ordnance” for his central role in establishing the Navy’s Ordnance Department , and a prolific designer of various types of guns and cannons, including his namesake invention the Dahlgren Gun, which contributed significantly to the Union victory in the American Civil War.

Light soiling (mostly at inside spinal fold), glue remnants to left margin not affecting content, else fine condition.

(EXA 5668) SOLD.
________

¹Navy Department Library: Deaths Due to Enemy Action, 1776-1937 (1962), 32.

Attorney General Isaac Hayne sends Civil War-date edits of the Impressment Act of South Carolina to Governor Bonham

(Confederate South Carolina) Isaac William HAYNE (1809-1880) Manuscript Document Signed “I.W. Hayne” as Attorney General of South Carolina, 2pp., 325 x 205 mm. (12 3/4 x 8 in.), [Columbia], 3 November 1863, to Governor Milledge L. Bonham (1813-1890) containing Hayne’s edits to the First section of the Impressment Act of South Carolina, in full: “First. Over and above ‘the property necessary for the support for the owner & his family & to carry on his ordinary agricultural & mechanical business’ of The Surplus ‘forage, articles of subsistence or other property’ in the hands of those who have ‘raised, grown or produced the same’ can only be taken for public use according to the provisions of the 1st and 2nd sections: that is; where the owner and impressing officer cannot agree as to compensation, the same must be determined by two loyal and disinterested citizens—on their disagreement, an umpire’s to decide to be final subject to an appeal by the impressing officer to the Commissioners Second. The above articles (not surplus) whether in the hands of the producers or in the hands purchasers not for sale of speculation but held for their own use or consumption ‘shall not be taken or impressed for the public use’. But where the owner and impressing officer cannot agree as to the quantity necessary, the decision of the appraisers, appointed under the 1st section, as to the quantity, shall be final. Third. The taking of ‘forage articles of subsistence and other property’ for public use, at the prices fixed by the Commissioners appointed under the 5th section, is not warranted under the Act, except in the hands of persons not holding the same for their own use or consumption: that is; in the hands of those who have purchased the same for ‘sale or speculation’—And then only according to the provisions of the 6th section.” On the verso Hayne writes: “I have examined the written and concur in the views expressed as a correct constructure of the Impressment Act.”

Hayne was a staunch South Carolina secessionist. He served as Attorney General of South Carolina from 1848 to 1868, and was appointed Commandant of Conscripts at Columbia during the Civil War. In 1861, he operated as a special envoy to engage in discussions with President Buchanan regarding a cession or sale of Fort Sumter to the Confederate State of South Carolina, following an incident in which the Star of the West, a civilian steamship employed by the U.S. Government to supply and reinforce Fort Sumter, was fired upon by Confederates and forced to retreat at the onset of the War. He also served as the Secretary of the 1832 Nullification Convention. His uncle was Robert Young Hayne (1791-1839), Governor of South Carolina from 1832 to 1834 and U.S. Senator from 1823 to 1832. One of Hayne’s sons joined the Confederate Army and was killed at Cold Harbor in June 1864.

Light toning to address panel, edge wear as shown, usual folds, overall fine condition.

(EXA 5288) $850

Patrick Henry grants a 2,000 acre tract of land in Kentucky, then known as “Jefferson County,” Virginia

Patrick HENRY (1736-1799) Partly-printed Document Signed “P. Henry” as Governor of Virginia, 1 page, 347 x 420 mm. (13 1/2 x 16 1/2 in.), [Richmond], 13 April 1786, a grant for 2,000 acres “…in the County of Jefferson…” granted “unto Names Nourse Junr. Ass[ign]ee of George Rogers[?] who as ass[igne]ee of James Clack…”

At the end of the Revolutionary War, Virginia laid claim to all of the lands south of the Ohio River, north of its southern boundary with North Carolina, and westward to the Mississippi River. A movement to separate state composed of Virginia Lands west of the Appalachians began in 1784 and culminated in the admission of Kentucky as the 15th State in the Union in 1792.

James Nourse Jr. (1758-1789) was the son of James Nourse (1731-1784) an English-born emigrant who came to America in 1769. Nourse Sr. accompanied British officer and diarist Nicholas Cresswell (1750-1804) during his 1775 descent of the Ohio River to the Kentucky River and onto Harrodsburg.^* Nourse Jr. was already a settler in Kentucky when Henry issued this grant. He was a member of the militia and active in local politics until his death at age 41.^†

Soiling and toning as shown (which only grazes the signature), usual folds, some cockling and marginal wear, else good condition with a nice dark signature. Note: this document has been stored folded and will be shipped in the same manner.

(EXA 5638) $1,000
______
^* See “Journey to Kentucky in 1775” Journal of American History XIX, (1925): 121-139, 251-260, 351-364.
^† James Nourse Jr., biographical notes: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~baerfacts/shannon/235.htm

Admiral David D. Porter eulogizes Reverend Henry Ward Beecher



David Dixon PORTER (1813-1891) Autograph Letter Signed “David D. Porter” as Admiral, 8pp., 250 x 197 mm. (9 3/4 x 7 3/4 in.), Washington, 18 March 1887, to Edward W. Bok^* eulogizing Henry Ward Beecher. Porter writes, in large part: “ I beg leave to acknowledge the receipt of your communication, and while thanking you for the compliment paid me in supposing that I could do justice to the character of such a man as henry Ward Beecher, I fear you have assigned me a task which I am not competent to execute. Ten men have performed so faithfully the labors he assumed as Mr. Beecher. Whether in the capacity of theologian orator, lecturer or citizen his life marks an era in the history of our country, and his vacant place is not likely to be filled. When I saw Mr. Beecher in the pulpit, or in any other position where he brought his oratorical powers into play, I can’t compare him only to the mighty falls of Niagara sweeping everything before it— he was sovereign among orators as Niagara dominates all other characters. He was the Himalaya overtopping all others of his profession, the Leviathan compared with whom the Common herd[?] are but a shoal of minnows, and although there are many occupants of the pulpit— men of hight aspirations and Without talents, yet none of them can fill the vacancy— none but himself can be his parallel. In the pulpit Mr. Beecher occupied the place se to in the forum by Daniel Webster and his great talents were only exceeded by his benevolence. It was simply necessary to look into his face to see how full of sympathy and kindness was his heart, and should any question arise his account books would show the thousands of dollars spent upon the needy. The first time I ever saw Mr. Beecher in the pulpit was in Plymouth Church. It was an imposing sight, the hall was crowded, the aisles were filled with people standing and many were unable even to enter the building. The pastor stood in his place wiping the perspiration from his brow, for the weather was very warm. With him in the pulpit, were five little boys, from six to ten years of age and I wondered at their presence until I remembered the words of the Savior— ‘Suffer little Children to Come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.’ These words were his text and it was handled as only Mr. Beecher could do it. Pointing to the little men he said ‘I love to dwell with children for they are the best part of humanity and will often teach the way to Heaven when other means fail.’ One can imagine how eloquent Mr. Beecher could be under the inspiration of such a text, and although thirty years have passed since I heard that sermon, yet I have a vivid remembrance of all that was said and down on the occasion. I remember in particular, one little fellow who about the middle of the sermon climbed upon a chair at the pastor’s side, and stood looking intently into Mr. Beecher’s eyes while the latter paired forth his most eloquent periods. Mr. Beecher closed with a prayer and as he did so placed his hand on the boy’s head and said ‘God bless this child’! When I first saw Mr. Beecher’s benevolent face and Conine head, I said to myself— what a grand man that is! but when I heard him speak it was as if a nightly river was rushing through my should washing out every vestige of sin abiding there and I think I was a better man after listening to that sermon. I went again to hear Mr. Beecher and would have attended his church regularly had I lived in his neighborhood. The gifts with which nature had endowed our great pulpit orator, were never used to better purpose than when he made his pilgrimage to England during our Civil War, to plead the cause of the Union and battle against the prejudices of our transatlantic brethren. For his services on this occasion the people of the United States are to Mr. Beecher an eternal debt of gratitude. The death of this great Christian orator is an event that will long be remembered. It is only necessary to recall the weeping throngs who attended his funeral, to realize how he was appreciated by those who knew him best, and the floral offerings laid upon his coffin were tributes of affection such as few men have ever received. Henry Ward Beecher was a great national Character and as such will always be remembered. He was ever ready to devote all his energies to the service of his Country and had it been necessary would have shouldered a musket in her defence. I am not the less willing to bear testimony to the great abilities and serves of Mr. Beecher, from the fact that I had with him a serious misunderstanding that was never cleared up. On that occasion he showed some asperity if temper for which I forgave him, recognizing the greatness of the man too fully to permit a matter of that kind to affect my opinion.“


Light creasing, usual folds, light bleed to signature, overall fine condition.(EXA 4662) SOLD. ________ ^* (1863-1930) Dutch-born American editor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. For three decades Bok edited Ladies Home Journal where he coined the term “Living Room”, updating the Victorian parlor for the twentieth century. Bok began collecting autographs in his early teens, impressing presidents, generals, and celebrities in numerous fields with his engaging questions.

General Sherman sends his regrets regarding his inability to pen a tribute to Reverend Thomas De Witt Talmage

William T. Sherman ALS 1884 to Edward Bok regarding Reverend Thomas De Witt Talmage

William T. Sherman ALS 1884 to Edward Bok regarding Reverend Thomas De Witt Talmage (1)

William Tecumseh SHERMAN (1820-1891) Union General infamous for this “March to the Sea.”Good content Autograph Letter Signed “W.T. Sherman” as General of the Army, 2pp., 205 x 125 mm. (8 x 5 in.), St. Louis, 25 November 1884 on 912 Garrison Avenue letterhead, to Brooklyn Magazine editor Edward W. Bok^* on his inability to write a tribute to the Reverend Thomas De Witt Talmage (1832-1902). Sherman writes, in full: “Your confidential letter is received and it surely will be most grateful to Mr. Talmage to possess the tribute you intend for him— I have never heard him preach a Sermon, nor have I ever to my Knowledge been in his Church— I have met him socially, and heard him Speak on such occasions. I am sure he is an Earnest and most Enthusiastic preacher, but I am not the person to bear witness thereto, as my observation has been most limited.”

Usual folds, extremely light toning, else very bright and clean and in fine condition.

(EXA 4656) $750
_________
^* (1863-1930) Dutch-born American editor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. For three decades Bok edited Ladies Home Journal where he coined the term, “Living Room”, updating the Victorian parlor for the twentieth century. Bok began collecting autographs in his early teens, impressing presidents, generals, and celebrities in numerous fields with his engaging questions.

A North American Land Company Stock Certificate issued by Robert Morris to Benjamin Franklin’s grandson, William Temple Franklin

Robert MORRIS (1734-1806) Partly-printed Document Signed “Robert Morris” as President of the North American Land Company, 1 page, 240 x 300 mm . (9 1/2 x 11 3/4 in.), Philadelphia, 18 April 1795, countersigned by James MARSHALL as company secretary, numbered 997. A certificate for five shares in the land company issued to William Temple Franklin (1760-1823), Benjamin Franklin’s grandson.

William Temple Franklin was the illegitimate son of William Franklin (1730-1814), Benjamin’s son and the last Royal Governor of New Jersey. In 1776, William Temple accompanied his grandfather to France where the latter was serving as the chief American envoy to the Court of Louis XVI. William Temple returned to America in 1786. Unable to secure a diplomatic post, he dove into land speculation at his grandfather’s suggestion.

Some loss from ink burn to signature, some chips, losses and minor tears at margins, else very good condition overall.

(EXA 5643) $1,200

Benjamin Waring signs tax collection document as Treasurer of South Carolina in 1791

Benjamin WARING (d. 1811) Manuscript Document Signed “B. Waring” as Treasurer of South Carolina, and signed on verso “J. Ch. Tho. Cartaret“, 1 page, 149 x 186 mm. (6 7/8 x 7 1/4 in.), Columbia, 5 July 1791, regarding tax collection, in full: “Recd. from John Byman Esq. Tax Collor. for Lexington County thirty six pounds 2/2 on acco. of the Taxes for 1789— also recd. four hundred & Eighty one pounds 1/11 in Special Indents for Taxes of 1788—“.

Waring served as an officer under Francis Marion during the American Revolution, elected as the first Treasurer of South Carolina in 1791, and later became Surveyor General of the state. In addition to his civic duties, he was an astute businessman, having established one of the first mills in America that manufactured cottonseed oil, and turned cotton into cloth. He also owned and operated a paper mill and a tannery. Waring was one of the founding members of first the Presbyterian, then the Trinity Church in Columbia. He was prosecuted by the State of South Carolina in 1809 for failing to comply with his duties as per his bond of employment as Treasurer. He argued unsuccessfully that upon his election to the position, there existed no laws, policies or procedures that rendered him accountable for discrepancies.

Edge wear, two tape repairs on verso, very slight paper loss at some fold over signature, usual folds, overall very good condition.

(EXA 5226) SOLD

Scarce pre-printed disbursement forms for Bank of the United States securities managed by Baring’s in London, 1800-1802

Sir Francis Baring early American financial document 1801-1802 (1)

Sir Francis Baring early American financial document 1801-1802 (2)

Sir Francis Baring early American financial document 1801-1802 (3)

(Sir Francis BARING) (1740-1810) English merchant banker. In 1762, he, with his brother John, founded the house of John and Francis Baring Company, which by 1807 had become the prominent Baring Brothers, & Co.A group of three unusual partly-printed Documents Signed with the corporate signature “Fran Baring & Co.” (and one, “Agt[?] of Fras Baring & Co Tho Nixson“), 1 page each, 255 x 205 mm.(10 1/2 x 8 in.), “Devonshire-Square, Bishopsgate-Street.” [London], 4 April, 1801 – 17 May 1802, all addressed to “Richard Lloyd, Esqr.” being a series of statements pre-printed for Baring’s clients invested in United States securities at the turn of the nineteenth century. The documents read in most part: “By Order of the Bank of the United States of America, we have the Honor to acquaint you, that we have received from them a Remittance for Interest on American Stock standing in your Name, as particularized in the Foot of this Letter, and which we are ready to pay you… betwixt the Hours of Ten and One any Monday Wednesday, thursday or Saturday, betwixt the Hours of Ten and One.” and completed in manuscript, “any Wednesday Thursday or Saturday“.

Richard Lloyd collected a fair amount of money on his American securities. Based on the present statements, he collected £632-4-9 in interest after commissions. Barings had become a major holder of stock in the Bank of the United States when the U.S. Government sold off its shares in the bank. In 1803, Barings financed the $15 million Louisiana Purchase by the United States. The same year, the U.S. government appointed Barings its London agents for the Bank of the United States.

Folds and creases, some marginal wear including a few minor chips and tears, else very good.

(EXA 5640) $600

The Bank of the United States in Boston carries out Hamilton’s orders that helped stem the Panic of 1792

(Alexander HAMILTON) Important manuscript Document Signed “John Codman“, “John C. Jones“, and “Jona Mason Junr” as Directors of the Office of Discount and Deposit at Boston, 1p., 270 x 190 mm. (10 3/4 x 7 1/2 in.), 4 April 1792, acknowledging receipt of $35,000 collected from the Customs House by the Commissioner of Loans, Nathaniel Appleton, to be used to pay interest on the national debt to relieve pressure on the Bank of the United States during the Panic of 1792.

The document reads in full: “Received of Nathaniel Appleton Esq.r Commissioner of Loans of the United States of America in the State of Massachusetts the Sum of Thirty five Thousand Dollars to be carried to the Credit of the Treasurer of the United States & appropriated to the payment of Interest due to the Creditors of the United States in conformity to the request of the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States in his Letter of 22d March 1792 and the directions of the President of the Bank United States in his letter of 22d March 1792“.

The Panic of 1792 had its roots in the rapid expansion of credit by the newly-formed Bank of the United States, and rampant speculation in government securities led by William Duer and Alexander Macomb. In early March 1792, Duer, greatly overextended, began to default on his obligations. To make matters worse, when Duer left his position as Secretary of the Treasury Board in 1789, he left a shortage of $238,000 on the government books. Hamilton had indulged his friend, allowing him time to settle his accounts, but when news of Duer’s pending insolvency reached him in late March, he was forced to initiate a suit, lest he be accused of laxity and nepotism by his political enemies.

Hamilton’s suit made Duer’s situation public and a panic ensued which placed enormous pressure on the Bank of the United States, and in particular, its ability to pay interest on the national debt in specie. Part of Hamilton’s strategy to alleviate the pressure on the banks was to order that specie received from the customs offices be used to pay the quarterly interest payment due. In his 22 March 1792 instructions to Nathaniel Appleton, Commissioner of Loans, Hamilton ordered him “…to avail yourself of all the specie in the hands of the Collector of Boston, excepting only the sum of 6,000 Dollars, which is to be retained by him, to meet certain bills of the Commissioner of Loans in New Hampshire, which he is authorized to direct to the Collector. The remaining specie the Collector is to deposit in the Boston Branch of the Bank of the United States, for the purpose of paying the interest on the public debt. He is also to pay in all the notes of the Bank of the US to be deposited in such way or form as the said Branch shall determine to receive the paper of the Bank of the United States.” The next week, Appleton deposited $35,000 with the Office of Discount & Deposit at Boston, the Massachusetts branch of the Bank of the United States, for which he received the present receipt.

Hamilton’s rapid and decisive actions during the panic prevented a larger financial disaster and by May the panic had largely subsided. However, Hamilton was unable to do much for his friend Duer. The disgraced speculator spent the remainder of his life in debtor’s prison for fear of his personal safety. Because so many had given their life’s savings to Duer to invest, a guard had to be posted at his cell to prevent a mob from hanging him in the street.

The Directors of the Boston branch who signed this document include John CODMAN (c. 1755-1803) a prominent Boston merchant and member of the Massachusetts Senate; John C. JONES (?-?) a Boston merchant; and Jonathan MASON Jr. (1756-1831) a prominent Federalist attorney and member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives who served two terms in the United States Senate (1800-1803, 1817-1820).

Toned at margins from previous mounting, minor marginal tears as shown, else very good.

(EXA 3504) SOLD.

< 1 2 3 4 5 >»