Autograph Letter, Signed, by James Denver as Commissioner of Indian Affairs to his Wife Louise Rombach Denver , Describing Crime on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and Referencing the Plug Uglies, 1857
by [Crime - Plug Uglies] Denver, James W.
Washington, 1857. Autograph letter measuring 8 x 5 inches bifolium, with free franked stampless cover. Fine condition. Fine. An interesting letter written by James W. Denver, written while he was serving as Commissioner of Indian Affairs, describing crime on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1857. He writes: “We have great times on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. For a long time past, merchandise has been lost along the line, by being thrown out of the cars while... Read More
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Partial 1905 Wanted Poster for Mary S. Dean, Charged with Providing an Illegal Abortion to a Murdered Woman
by [Crime – Abortion – Boston] Boston, Massachusetts Police Department; Pierce, William H.
Boston, Massachusetts, 1905. Single 8.5 x 8.5 inch sheet, cut from a larger whole; likely missing a portion. Marks at upper left side, some folding. Otherwise excellent to near fine.. Wanted poster for Mary S. Dean, dated December 16, 1905. Three months prior, a young woman’s torso had been found in a suitcase floating in Boston Harbor. A month later, a suitcase containing her limbs was found, and she was identified as Susanna Geary. In September, Geary had... Read More
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![The Isle of Pines. [Promotional Photo Album]](https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/h/377/549/1716549377.0.l.jpg)
The Isle of Pines. [Promotional Photo Album]
by [Cuba – Isle of Pines – Imperialism] Wark, William H.
Brooklyn, New York: The Albertype Co, 1913. Photo album of twenty-five 12 ½ x 10 inch pages containing fifty 8 x 6 inch photographs, with cardstock cover. Cover and pages worn with marginal damage; pages mostly detached from string binding; photos with captions on negative; Near Fine with Fine contrast. Overall excellent to Near Fine.. After the Spanish American War, the Isle of Pines (now Isla de Juventud in Cuba) was contested territory, because the 1901 Platt Amendment... Read More
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Album of Photographs of a Motorcycle-Loving Couple from Los Angeles, Including Photographs of Motorcycle Touring Through the Southwest, 1937-1939
by [California] [Motorcycle Culture]
Mostly Los Angeles, 1939. Oblong quarto, containing 117 photographs. Sixty-two of the photographs involve motorcycles directly, either action shots or posed shots in attire, with many others showing scenery from motorcycle tours. Some photographs missing, those present are in excellent condition with fine contrast, very good condition overall. Very Good. A charming album documenting the lives of a couple from California and their love of motorcycle touring and racing in the late 1930s, uncommon for the many pictures... Read More
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1874 Journal Covering a Trip from Massachusetts to the Dakota Territory, with Stops at Odd Fellows Lodges
by [Dakota Territory – Tourism – Odd Fellows] Hill, Ralph C.
United States, 1874. Daily journal measuring 3 x 6 ¾ inches. Seventy-four pages (double-sided) filled out with some memoranda pages at the end blank. Several pages faded, else legible; spine broken with wear to cover but contents excellent. Overall very good plus.. A daily journal from 1874 belonging to Ralph C. Hill (1824–1915) of Milford, Massachusetts. Hill mostly remarks on the weather and on his business transactions, but from June to August of 1874 he took a long... Read More
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“Judge Nanette Dembitz for Court of Appeals” Campaign Poster
by [Politics – Women – New York City] Committee for Judge Nanette Dembitz
New York City, 1972. 15 ½ x 22 ½ inches. Masking tape at top and bottom; some folding to upper left edge, some marginal chipping; fine contrast. Overall excellent.. Nanette Dembitz (1913–1989) graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan, then attended Columbia Law School where she edited the Columbia Law Review, graduating in 1938. She was unable to find work in private practice because of her gender; as her April 1989 obituary in The New York Times... Read More
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Poster Invitation to a Cooper Union Alumni Event, Signed by Alum Lou Dorfsman
by [Design – Higher Education – New York City] Unknown Designer
New York City, 1968. 20 x 28 inches. Folded with some tears at folds, slightly wrinkled; inscribed “Sam – / You must come! / Send money / Lou Dorfsman”. Very good plus.. An invitation to the “Recooperation Baths”, which seems to be an annual get-together for Cooper Union alumni. Cooper Union was founded in 1859 by business magnate Peter Cooper to offer a tuition-free education in practical areas such as architectural drawing, shorthand, and the like. No longer... Read More
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![“Sugar Hill Baby”. [1937 Film Advertisement]](https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/h/428/112/1722112428.0.l.jpg)
“Sugar Hill Baby”. [1937 Film Advertisement]
by [African-Americana – Film – Race Films] [Willie Bryant] Unknown Designer
United States: N.p., 1937. Flyer measuring 8 x 10 ½ inches. Folded at middle, with some wear mainly to margins, and some small repairs verso. Very good plus.. A flyer advertising the all-Black drama film Sugar Hill Baby (1937). The film, directed by Irwin Franklyn and originally titled Harlem Aristocrat, featured all local actors recruited from the readership of the African-American newspaper The New York Age alongside Willie Bryant’s Harlemanians. Bryant (1908–1964) was an actor, radio DJ, and... Read More
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A HAP-HAZARD SONG FOR THE Peo-Ple
by [Rhode Island – Legal History – Hazard Family] “Miss Terious Devil-up-ments”
Newport, Rhode Island: N.p., 1855. Broadside measuring 21 ¾ x 10 inches, folded with some damage to edges, with two holes in the center intersecting with text. Very good to excellent.. A HAP-HAZARD SONG was written around 1855 by an author using the pseudonym “Miss Terious Devil-up-ments”. It concerns the legal cases of Ives vs. Hazard and Ives vs. Armstrong, which involved a dispute over the sale of a farm belonging to Charles T. Hazard, a less well-off... Read More
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Chiu-Yick English Chinese-English Dictionary
by [English-Chinese Dictionaries]
Hong Kong: Chiu Yick Book Store, 1890. Miniature dictionary measuring 2 ⅞ x 1 ¾ inches 606 pp plus glossaries. Lacks covers, text block very good. Fair. A very rare miniature English-Chinese Dictionary, printed in Hong Kong perhaps in the 1890s or c.1900, in the early decades of British Hong Kong. The dictionary was printed by the Chiu Yick Book Store, of which we find no record. None in OCLC, one located at the Lytton Chinese History Museum.... Read More
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Fair Copy of a Speech by Baron de Carondelet Regarding the Maintenance of Troop Presence in Lower Louisiana, 1797
by [Diplomatic History - New Spain and the United States] De Carondelet, Francisco Luis Héctor; Pope, Piercy
New Orleans, 1797. Three pages of a bifolium, 8 x 9 ½ inches, New Orleans; May 31, 1797. Fair only, with moisture damage and some text illegible. Fair. An interesting document from the period following the Treaty of San Lorenzo and before the eventual surrender of Natchez to the Americans in 1798, in which the governor of Louisiana and West Florida, Francisco Luis Hector de Carondelet, issues a statement regarding the delayed withdrawal of Spanish troops from the... Read More
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Collection of Reports Addressed to Peter McQuhae From Various Figures in the British Foreign Office, on Subjects Including an Imminent Filibustering Attack on Cuba by a Pro-Slavery Organization from the Unted States; the Movements of a Slave Trading Brig’s Fishing Rights, Relations to Spain And Other Issues of Pressing Importance to British Interests in the Caribbean
by [Diplomatic History - Cuba, Great Britain, and the United States - Enslavement - Filibustering Missions] Seymour, Vice Admiral G.F.; Addington, Henry; Hudson, James; Crompton, Sir John; [McQuhae, Commodore Peter]
London, 1852. Five groups of documents measuring 13 x 8 inches, various paginations (see full description below). Fine condition. A scarce set of primary source documents relating to the protection of British territory in the Caribbean, in particular along the Mosquito Coast, during the period of varied interests in the area, in the period following the Anglo-Spanish agreement on the slave trade. Consisting of a series of secretarial copies of reports delivered to Peter McQuhae, Commodore of H.M.S. Imauam,... Read More
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Rafu Nenkan / The Year Book and Directory, 1937-1938
by [Japanese-Americana – Los Angeles and California – Directories]
Los Angeles, California: The Rafu Shimpo / L.A. Japanese Daily News, 1937. [appx 90], 485 pp. Limp cloth. With illustrations in color and black and white. Near Fine condition with some light wear to covers.. A very scarce directory of the Japanese-American community, with a focus on Los Angeles, but also covering other areas of California including Terminal Island and San Pedro and San Francisco, and other states such as Utah and Washington, published by the Rafu Shimpo.... Read More
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Five Cabinet Card Photographs of the Aftermath of the Fire in Lebanon, New Hampshire, 1887
by [Disasters - 19th Century - New Hampshire] Lewis, C.E.
Lebanon: C.E. Lewis, 1887. Albumen photographs measuring 7 ¾ x 4 ½ on larger mounts. Some marks and scuffs to mounts, some writing to versos, images with excellent contrast and some light foxing, very good overall. Very Good. One of the most destructive fires in New Hampshire in the 19th century broke out in the Mead, Mason and Co. factory the morning of May 10, 1887, and destroyed eighty buildings in a space of ten acres, fully destroying... Read More
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A Brief View of the Nature and Effects of Negro Slavery, As It Exists in the Colonies of Great Britain
by [Abolitionism – United Kingdom] Committee of the Society for Mitigating and Gradually Abolishing the State of Slavery throughout the British Dominions
London, England: Ellerton and Henderson, 1823. Three page document measuring 8 ½ x 13 ¼ inches. Folded with some small wrinkles at edges, else Near Fine.. A document produced by the Society for Mitigating and Gradually Abolishing the State of Slavery throughout the British Dominions, better known as the Anti-Slavery Society. The group was founded in London in 1823 by a group of politicians, philanthropists, and businessmen including William Wilberforce, Joseph Sturge, and Zachary Macaulay. The document discusses... Read More
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Collection of Five Pieces of Sheet Music Composed for Drag Performer Julian Eltinge, 1910–1917
by [Drag Performance – Broadway – Sheet Music – Female Impersonation] [Julian Eltinge] Johnson, Howard; Meyer, George W.; et al.
New York City: Leo. Feist Inc. and others, 1917. Five pieces of sheet music (see full inventory below). Overall very good plus.. Julian Eltinge (1881–1941) was the most commercially successful and popular female impersonator of his time. Beginning with drag performances in his adolescence, he developed a convincing portrayal of female characters—shocking audiences at the end of shows by revealing that he was in costume—and had a successful career on the vaudeville circuit and on Broadway, followed by... Read More
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Early 1940s Dream Journal of an Anonymous Midwestern Woman
by [Dream Journals – Sexuality – 1940s] “A.B.”
Likely Chicago area, 1944. Single 5 x 8 inch journal with forty-two double-sided pages filled out and many more blank. Near fine.. Offered here is an unusual document: a dream journal from the 1940s. Written by an anonymous woman, the journal documents dreams from January and February of 1943 and 1944. Dream interpretation is an ancient practice with many varied purposes,[1] but given the rising popularity of psychoanalysis at the time in the US,[2] it is plausible that... Read More
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![The Imprint of Timothy Leary (or Timothy Leary Revisited). Exclusive Story and Photos By Joe O’Sullivan. [with] Seven Photographs from the “Man of Visions” Series](https://d3525k1ryd2155.cloudfront.net/h/932/244/1299244932.0.l.jpg)
The Imprint of Timothy Leary (or Timothy Leary Revisited). Exclusive Story and Photos By Joe O’Sullivan. [with] Seven Photographs from the “Man of Visions” Series
by [Drugs] [Leary, Timothy] O’Sullivan, Joe
New York: UPI Roto Service, 1966. First Edition. Photocopy of a typed manuscript, 8-½ x 11 in., 12 pp., printed recto only, sl. chipping and toning at edges; together with an additional copy of the typed manuscript; a License to Use Your Head order form for Leary’s Future History book series, no date; and seven (of eight?) “Man of Visions” silver gelatin prints, 8 x 10 in., each dated May 28, 1966, with caption leaves and UPI Press stamps... Read More
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Manuscript Provision Return for “one released Indian captive who lives with me,” Signed by Army Paymaster Caleb Swan, March 1796
by [Early Republic – Indian Captivity – Treaty of Greenville – U.S. Army Rations] Swan, C.; Haskell, J.
United States, 1796. One small slip, signed “C. Swan, PMG U.S.” with additional authorization by J. Haskell. Measuring appx. 3 ½ x 7 ½ inches. Near Fine.. In the 1790s, ongoing conflicts between the United States and Native nations produced large numbers of captives, taken in raids and only gradually returned through negotiation, exchange, and treaty. The U.S. Army was responsible not only for recovering these individuals but for housing and provisioning them while their status was resolved.... Read More
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1795 Contract between Merchant John Godfried Wachsmuth and US Treasury Secretary Oliver Wolcott Jr., Arranging a Large Sale of Goods through a Prominent Amsterdam Banking Firm
by [Early United States – Mercantile History – The Netherlands] Wachsmuth, John Godfried; Wolcott, Oliver, Jr.; Jones, Edward
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1795. Two pages measuring 10 x 16 ¼ inches. Toned, folded with tears at folds, and marginal damage; excellent.. A contract dated December 11th, 1795, between Philadelphia merchant John Godfried Wachsmuth and Secretary of the Treasury Oliver Wolcott Jr. in which Wachsmuth agrees to ship $113,000 worth of coffee, sugar, and cocoa to Amsterdam, for which the US government would advance Wachsmuth the funds. The items would be consigned to an Amsterdam banking house, the bankers... Read More
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Quarter Plate Ambrotype of an Unidentified Man, c. 1855-56
by [Early Photography - California] Vance, Robert H.
California, 1855. Quarter plate ambrotype measuring 3 ¼ x 4 ¼ inches, with Vance’s embossed identification to mat, housed in a black thermoplastic case. Case split at both hinges, image fine. Very Good. Robert Vance was one of the first photographers to document California’s gold rush, taking over three hundred images of California that were shown in 1851 in New York (and since lost). He operated a studio in San Francisco at Sacramento and Montgomery Street. This image,... Read More
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1867 Freedmen’s Bureau Receipt for $1,000 to Build a School on Land Owned by Freedmen in Morganton, North Carolina
by [Education – African Americana – Reconstruction – Freedmen’s Bureau – North Carolina] Claywell, J. A.; Nelson, Jesse Strabo
Morganton, North Carolina, 1867. Manuscript document measuring 5 ¼ x 8 inches. Near Fine.. An 1867 document confirming the receipt of $1,000 for building a school for freed African Americans in Morganton, North Carolina. The document reads: “$1,000 Morganton, N.C. Dec’r 16th 1867 Received of Major Hannibal D. Norton, Sub-ass’t Com’r Bureau R.F. + A.L. One Thousand dollars, in full, for erecting a School-building on land purchased by Freedmen, in Morganton N.C., as per contract dated August... Read More
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May 17. A Day to Remember. A Day of Decision. A Time of Thanksgiving. A Day of Action. Freedom Sunday
by NAACP; Freedom Sunday Celebrations; Brown vs. Board of Education
New York: NAACP, 1959. Poster on heavy card stock, 13 x 10 inches. Some foxing to edges, near fine condition overall. Near Fine. In 1959, to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, the NAACP coordinated a group of celebrations in churches throughout the country to celebrate Freedom Sunday. The effort, led by Reverend Edward J. Odom, Jr., the NAACP church Secretary, involved over 100 local chapters across the country. The celebrations on... Read More
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Archive of Photographs, Patents, Diagrams, and Sales Pitches of Oliver Parker Fritchle, Inventor of the Fritchle Electric Car
by [Electric Cars – Sustainable Energy – Radio – American Inventors] Fritchle, Oliver Parker
Denver, Colorado; Chicago, Illinois; and Long Beach, California, 1950. Approximately 939 items: 559 photographs of approximately 4 x 6 inches and smaller with twelve of approximately 8 x 11 inches; twenty-three real photo postcards; 148 negatives; thirty-three handwritten pages and eighty-three typed pages of mainly 8 x 11 inches and smaller (including professional correspondence) with five pieces of personal correspondence; twenty-seven pages of patent materials (descriptions, printed diagrams, copies of applications); five large hand-drawn technical diagrams; twelve pages of... Read More
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A Lengthy Letter Detailing Family in New Orleans and a Nearby Plantation and Discussing The Insurance Business and Current Affairs, 1854
by [Emigration - New Orleans - 1850s] Sumner, Samuel
New Orleans, 1854. Fine. A lengthy description of life in New Orleans written by Samuel Sumner (1824-1866), the son of Michael and Mary Sumner of Newburyport, Massachusetts, describing life as an insurance salesman in New Orleans. He talks about his brother Richard (Richard Bartlet Sumner, 1816-1868). Sumner describes his life in New Orleans and alludes to previous difficulties, presumably in his travels from Newburyport and establishing his family in the New Orleans. He talks about the difficulty in... Read More
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