Martin Luther King Jr: My Selection as Time Magazine’s Man of the Year For 1963 Proves That “the conscience of America has been reached and that the old order which has embraced bigotry and discrimination must now yield to what we know to be right and just.""
by Martin Luther King, Jr.
25/03/1964. Among the finest MLK letters we have seen on the market He references “the Negro's constant struggle for full equality and human dignity”, and sees with satisfaction the Civil Rights struggle as having made significant progress, foreseeing its success The honor from Time was not his alone, but “a tribute to the entire civil rights struggle and the millions of gallant people all over the nation who are working so untiringly to bring the American dream into reality”Time has become... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
Henri Matisse and Noted Collector Albert C. Barnes, Together in Nice, Send Joint Praise to the Editor of Barnes' Newly Released ""The Art of Henri-Matisse""
by Henri Matisse
24/01/1933. A rare glimpse into among the more important relationships between art collector and artist: Matisse and Barnes, whose collection is at the Barnes Museum in Philadelphia Never before offered for sale; acquired from the recipient's heirsAlbert C. Barnes was an American chemist, businessman, art collector, writer, educator, and the founder of the Barnes Foundation. Barnes made a fortune as the developer of the antiseptic Argyrol, and subsequently amassed an impressive collection of more than 2,000 pieces of rare art.... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
The Early Days of Japanese - American Relations: President William McKinley Officially Authorizes Implementation of One of the Early Treaties Between the Two Countries, Dealing With Intellectual Property
by William McKinley
09/03/1897. Japan started emerging into the modern world with the accession to the throne of the Meiji Emperor in 1868. The country quickly began to modernize and industrialize, and one aspect of this was to protect intellectual property. In 1884, a trademark law was promulgated. The Patent Monopoly Act came the following year, and protection for designs was passed in 1888. These were authorized by the Meiji Emperor, who lived until 1912.After years of contention, the dawn of the... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
Future President William McKinley Urges High-Tariff Advocate the American Protective Tariff League to Keep Active and Vigilant in the Cause
by William McKinley
07/12/1892. Starting in the Civil War, protection was the ideological cement holding the Republican coalition together. High tariffs were used to promise higher sales to business, higher wages to industrial workers, and higher demand for their crops to farmers. Democrats said it was a tax on the little man. Bliss was a successful wholesale merchant and Republican Party operative, and was a founder and first president of the American Protective Tariff League, which was campaigning to convince the American... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
President William McKinley Writes His Secretary of the Interior Approving an Appointment as Inspector of Timber
by William McKinley
16/06/1898. Cornelius N. Bliss was a partner in one of the largest wholesale dry-goods firms in the country. He was also chairman of the Republican committee in New York in 1887 and 1888, and contributed much to the success of the Benjamin Harrison ticket in his state in the 1888 election. He served as treasurer of the Republican National Committee from 1892 to 1904. He turned down the offer of becoming Secretary of the Treasury under President McKinley, but... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
President William McKinley Ends the Spanish American War Hostilities
by William McKinley
12/08/1898. The only document signed by a president ordering the end of hostilities in a war waged by the United States that we have ever seen on the market It is extremely rare that one comes across an original document signed by a president ordering the end of hostilities in a war waged by the United States subject to a declaration of war by Congress. We have, in our 35 years, seen just one, and it is this document. ""The McKinley... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
President William McKinley Orders the Immediate Evacuation of Spain from Cuba, the Key Peace Term of the Treaty Ending the Spanish American War
by William McKinley
19/08/1898. Cuba was the prime Spanish base in the Caribbean for centuries. Christopher Columbus claimed the island for Spain in 1492, and the Spanish conquest began in 1511, when the settlement of Baracoa was founded. The native Indians were eradicated over the succeeding centuries, and African slaves, from the 18th century until slavery was abolished in 1886, were imported to work the sugar plantations. Cuba revolted unsuccessfully against Spanish rule in the Ten Years’ War in 1868–78; a second... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
President William McKinley Orders the Carrying out of a Key Peace Term of the Spanish American War, and the American Seizure of the Last Vestiges of Spain’s American Empire, Initiated by Christopher Columbus
by William McKinley
19/08/1898. This marked the end of four centuries of Spanish Imperial occupation, and resulted in exit of the last forces potentially hostile to the U.S. in the hemisphere The beginning of U.S. sovereignty at the dawn of what has been called the American CenturyChristopher Columbus reached the island that would become Puerto Rico, then home to the Taino people, in 1493, ushering in more than four hundred years of Spanish rule. It became a critical military outpost, allowing Spain to... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
President William McKinley Appoints a Captain Who Would Become a Professor of Military Science and Tactics
by William McKinley
26/12/1899. In March 1899, John C.W. Brooks, an army officer who had been serving in the west, was ordered to report for examination for promotion at Governor's Island, New York City. He passed the exam, and later that year he was promoted to captain.Document signed, with an engraved eagle, Washington, December 26, 1899, promoting Brooks to captain. A few years later Brooks took a position on the faculty of the Department of Military Science and Tactics at Carnegie Mellon... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
The Definitive Blow of the Hundred Years War: A Commander in the Final Major Battle of the French ""Conquest of Normandy"" in 1450, Which Ended the War, Receives His Compensation from the Treasury of King Charles VII
by Medieval History, Literature, Law|All Medieval Historical Documents
18/10/1450. We can recall nothing similar having reached the market From the collection of Dr. Otto O. Fisher, who bought primarily in the 1930s and 1940s, so this not been offered for sale in nearly a centuryThe Hundred Years’ War was one of the most notable conflicts of the Middle Ages. For 116 years, interrupted by several truces, five generations of kings from two rival dynasties - the English House of Plantagenet and the French House of Valois - fought... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
Becoming an Imperial Count Palatine, A Grand, Golden Document Signed by Prominent Citizens of Padua in 1585
by Medieval History, Literature, Law|All Medieval Historical Documents
25/09/1585. The Renaissance was a period of crucial cultural, artistic, social and financial development in late Medieval and Renaissance Italy, and particularly the affluent cities of Florence, Venice, Genoa, and Padua.The Holy Roman Empire spanned central Europe, in one form or another, for the span of a millennia. For much of that time, it contained vast swaths of Italy, mainly in the north, and included the Italian city of Padua, which would become a hub in the Renaissance in... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
From One of the Great Works of the Era of Dantean Literature in Late Medieval Italy and Its Humanist Era
by Medieval History, Literature, Law|All Medieval Historical Documents
1450. Uberti's father had been referenced by DanteThe City State of Florence:In the 1300s, the Italian city-states were embroiled in complex political machinations between each other—chiefly Milan, Florence, Pisa, Siena, Genoa, Ferrara, Mantua, Verona, and Venice— and the overarching powers of the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire. Even within factions that seemed to support the same objectives: the Guelphs, who battled the Ghibellines, split in to the White Guelphs and Black Guelphs and ultimately the Black Guelphs exiled... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
A Rare Manuscript from Livy’s Seminal Work: From a 15th c. copy of the History of Rome
by Medieval History, Literature, Law|Ege|All Medieval Historical Documents
01/01/1450. A very uncommon leaf from Livy, very few manuscript examples having survivedRome, having survived the invasions of the Celtic Gauls in the early 4th century BC, set its sights on further expansion in the middle part of the century. They re-conquered those Latin and Etruscan towns that had left the fold during the Gallic occupation, and in absorbing others, reconsolidated their position as the dominant force in Latium and Central Italy. With their home turf secured (or so... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
Two Leaves from the Roman de la Rose, 14th century, Which Defined Love and Literature in the Western World
by Medieval History, Literature, Law|All Medieval Historical Documents
1350. This work takes its place on the lineage of great early works, along with the Arthurian tales These are exceptionally early witnesses to this most important literary text, the most popular secular work of the entire Middle Ages Appearances of this seminal text are uncommon, only a handful having reached the market in decades Linguistic variations suggest a non-Parisian scribe; evidence of re-use in the 17th century from manuscript markings[video width=""1920"" height=""1080"" mp4=""https://cdn.raabcollection.com/wp-content/uploads/20231204130246/Roman-de-la-Rose.mp4""][/video] The influence of the Old French allegorical poem, the... Read More
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Julius Caesar's Invasion of Britain: An Historic Illumination From a Now Lost 15th Century Work
by Medieval History, Literature, Law|Medieval Art|All Medieval Historical Documents
1450. The sole known surviving piece of a once vast and grand 15th century ""Faits des Romans,"" doubtless for a noble patron of enormous wealth. The artist is a follower of the Coëtivy MasterThe twin nostalgias of Europe— one for the powerful, all-encompassing Roman Empire, the other for connecting with the mysterious pre-Roman peoples— combine in this 15th century French illumination of Caesar’s final, and questionably successful, encounter with the Britons, led by Cassivellaunus. While Caesar won this battle, his... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
A Debt Paid with Ties to Myles Standish, Alchemy, and the Hundred Years War: Lancashire Indenture in Latin, Dated 1422
by Medieval History, Literature, Law|All Medieval Historical Documents|Medieval Charters
12/04/1422. Part of an important professors collection, the majority of which was assembled and last offered for sale 25 years agoMyles Standish was an English military officer hired to accompany the Pilgrims in 1620 on the ship Mayflower as their military adviser. He played a leading role in the administration and defense of Plymouth Colony. He was one of the first settlers and founders of the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts. He died on October 3, 1656, in the New World, in Duxbury,-- a town the... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
A Medieval 12th Century Illustration of a French Hunter, His Dog, and Their Catch: A Hare
by Medieval Art|All Medieval Historical Documents|Before 1300
1100. Medieval canine companionship: remarkably early inhabited initial of a dog; from 12th Century FranceEx-Parke Bernet, 1948 Mankind has long been infatuated with dogs. The canine/human relationship goes back tens of thousands of years, and a painting of a dog as cave art from 9,000 years ago has survived. But it was only in the Middle Ages that images of dogs, especially those in context, begin to appear with any regularity. Dogs’ roles in the lives of humans from the Middle... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
Muckracking Journalist H.L. Mencken Disparages Mahatma Gandhi, Says He Needs a Good Kick in the Crotch
by H.L. Mencken
21/10/1931. Henry L. Mencken was a journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English, longtime columnist for the Baltimore Sun. Typed Letter Signed, 1 page, Baltimore, October 21, 1931 to Mr. Hart. “A ‘tap on the nose’ is far too polite an attention for Gandhi. I’d much prefer a swift kick where his pantaloons would be if he wore any. Let the Kendall book come along and I’ll be glad to go through it.” Mencken was known... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
Constitution Signer Thomas Mifflin Confirms a Transfer of Land to Benjamin Chew, Judge of the Pennsylvania High Court of Errors and Appeals
by Thomas Mifflin
03/09/1796. Benjamin Chew was a prominent attorney in Pennsylvania in the Revolutionary War era. He represented the interests of the Penn family, served as Pennsylvania Attorney General, and rose to the position of Chief Justice of Pennsylvania in 1774. With the post war adoption of a Pennsylvania constitution, Governor Thomas Mifflin in 1791 appointed Chew to the High Court of Errors and Appeals, a post he held until 1806. Chew was also noted as a friend of George Washington... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
War of 1812 Privateer’s Commission Issued for a Great Ship Captained by Salem Merchant, Future Navy Secretary and Original Privateer Benjamin Crowninshield, Signed by President James Madison and Secretary of State James Monroe
by James Madison|James Monroe
01/03/1813. Acquired from the Crowninshield heirs and never before offered for sale; it was considered ""the fastest sailing privateer out of the United States."" Crowninshield is authorized to “subdue, seize and take any armed or unarmed British vessel, public or private, which shall be found within the jurisdictional limits of the United States or elsewhere on the high seas” We have never before seen a privateer’s commission made out to a cabinet member, nor seen a commission with a surviving letter... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
President James Madison and Secretary of State James Monroe Grant Land in Ohio
by James Madison|James Monroe
20/04/1812. Pursuant to the act of Congress entitled ""An act providing for the sale of the Lands of the United States in the Territory north west of the Ohio, and above the mouth of Kentucky river,” John Brindley bought and was the assignee of a tract of land in Indiana, in “fractional section number twelve of township five, in range number five, east of the second principal meridian.”Document signed by Madison as president and Monroe as secretary of state,... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
The Buck Stops Here:_President James Monroe Takes Responsibility for His Principled Decision to Discipline an Officer Who Used His Position to Interfere in the 1820 New York Gubernatorial Race
by James Monroe
27/08/1823. Col. John P. Decatur, brother of Commodore Stephen Decatur, was a man unlike his famous brother. In 1820, New York Governor DeWitt Clinton was challenged for reelection by Daniel Tompkins, who was the sitting vice president. Some active-serving U.S. military officers used their positions to try to prevent his reelection and install Tompkins, an effort that failed. In 1821 Clinton laid proofs of that interference before his state legislature. Col. Decatur, at that time the naval storekeeper at... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
From James Monroe, Advice on Life, Philosophy, Personal Habits, Career, and Success
by James Monroe
16/02/1814. Of his own time in College: “When I was at College, I did almost every thing for myself, & I have found the use of it thro’ life”James Monroe's mother died in 1772, and his father two years later. Though he inherited property, including slaves, from both of his parents, the 16-year-old Monroe was forced to withdraw from school to support his younger brothers. He was therefore experienced in guiding and giving advice to youths. One of these... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
President James Monroe Has Read and Returns the Counsel of Jefferson During Missouri Crisis of 1820, But Would Ultimately Ignore It
by James Monroe
13/04/1820. Here Monroe returns the original to its recipientThe first great crisis over slavery occurred when Missouri requested to be admitted to the Union as a slave state in 1819. The number of slave and free states was then balanced at 11 each, and admission would upset that balance. Both north and south staked out positions based on sectionalism, rather than nationalism, the first time this had occurred. The debates in Congress were intense. With so many territories in... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
War of 1812 Privateer’s Additional Instructions Issued for a Ship Captained by Future Navy Secretary Benjamin Crowninshield, Signed by Secretary of State James Monroe
by James Monroe
28/08/1812. We obtained these uncommon additional instructions directly from the Crowninshield descendants and this document has never before been offered for sale. A supplement to a privateer’s instructions, fascinatingly made out to a future cabinet memberOn June 18, 1812, Madison signed the Declaration of War, marking the beginning of the War of 1812. During that war, American privateers played a significant role in disrupting British maritime commerce and bolstering the American economy. Privateers often used fast-sailing schooners and sloops, well-suited... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC