Letter from Grant to Lee brings $63,250 at Gallery 63
Gallery 63 of Atlanta, Ga., is fast becoming the auction house of choice for consignors of civil rights and historical material. The firm's August 4-5 sale featured audio tapes from the 1960s pertaining mostly to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ($17,250); and a letter from Ulysses S. Grant to Robert E. Lee ($63,250).
[USPRwire, Wed Aug 15 2007] Gallery 63 is fast becoming the auction house of choice for consignors of civil rights and other historical merchandise. The firm's August 4-5 sale featured a trove of audio tapes from the 1960s pertaining mostly to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ($17,250); a letter written by Ulysses S. Grant to Robert E. Lee ($63,250); and a steel engraving of Lee, signed by the general ($43,125).
“Ever since we moved into our larger quarters (at 4577 Roswell Road in Atlanta), it seems we've gotten more of this kind of historic material, and it's great,” said Paul Brown of Gallery 63. “We were already known as the consignment arm of Red Baron, and for staging some really wonderful multi-estate sales with fresh-to-the-market material. And now we're known for something else, too.”
Indeed, the three aforementioned pieces of American history alone accounted for more than $100,000 in a sale that grossed about $1.35 million. Civil rights and Civil War took center stage, but the auction saw about 1,250 lots change hands in a broad range of categories, from fine art to period furniture. The sale attracted over 460 registered bidders. About 650 people overall packed the gallery.
Gallery 63 made the news across the country a few months ago, when it appeared poised to sell a folder of previously unknown documents pertaining to Dr. King. But the King family intervened, and when the exact provenance of the material could not be determined, it was pulled from the auction block. However, the publicity resulted in phone calls from consignors with other civil rights material.
The MLK items sold at the August 4-5 sale comprised a trove of over 20 original audio and video tapes of speeches, sermons, hearings and interviews originally aired in the 1960s and pertaining mostly to the slain civil rights leader (although some tapes concerned Robert F. Kennedy and John F. Kennedy). They came from the estate of Jerry Tucker, a former newsman at WNOO in Chattanooga.
On one tape, Dr. King sits for an interview with Mr. Tucker, an event that was broadcast once, in 1960, and never aired again. It is the only reel of the interview that exists. Also sold, as a separate lot, was a letter, written on Southern Christian Leadership Conference letterhead, thanking an organizer of a banquet honoring Dr. King for receiving the Nobel Prize in 1964, and a dinner invitation.
The letter written by Grant to Lee (dated April 10, 1865, the day after the official end of the Civil War), discusses the terms of surrender of the Confederate Army and was originally penned at the Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia. The letter was consigned by a Texas woman who became aware of Gallery 63 when she saw a television report on the folder of MLK papers that were pulled from sale.
It is believed the letter was a handwritten copy of the original document, presented by Grant to Lee the day after Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Va., on April 9, 1865. Grant wrote the copy, it is presumed, for posterity's sake. The late Civil War historian Shelby Foote said of it, “It is almost certainly Grant's...he wrote it either on the train back to City Point or up the coast to Washington.”
The original period steel engraving of General Lee was exceedingly rare and bore the Confederate legend's signature. Fittingly, these items were sold in Atlanta, a city closely associated with the Civil War and the civil rights movement. From Sherman's march through Georgia to the movie “Gone With the Wind” to Dr. King's sermons and marches, Atlanta has been at the epicenter of it all.
Other top lots from the sale follow. All prices quoted include a 15% buyer's premium.
A watercolor rendering, “Figures and a Cabin,” by the renowned landscape painter Joseph Mallard William Turner (British, 1775-1851) soared to $32,200. Turner is widely regarded as one of the finest landscape painters in English history. He is sometimes referred to as the 'First Impressionist' because many of his works (like the one sold) exhibit a hazy wash of light, captured in the moment.
Another painting, done by the accomplished marine painter Montague Dawson (British, 1890-1973), and titled “Sailing Ship in Rough Seas,” gaveled for $10,350. Dawson's reputation was such that by the 1930s he was firmly established as one of the leading marine painters of the day. He secured important commissions from Queen Elizabeth, and his work has hung in the White House.
A delft blue 1974 Triumph TR-6 convertible, looking ready for the road after a frame up restoration, sped away for $11,040; an antique player piano with multiple animated automata, pipes, bells and drums, for years a fixture at the 1960's-era blues club in Underground Atlanta called Blind Willie's, fetched $9,315; and a restored oak barber chair by the Theo Kochs Company made $2,185.
A rare Alabama Kentucky rifle made by D. Evans and featuring beautiful brass hardware and curly maple stock rang out at $4,830; a matched pair of consecutively numbered Colt Derringer pistols, in the original Colt leather-bound case and with mint high-gloss blued barrels and carved grips, achieved $3,565; and a lifetime collection of over 25 rare military swords sold for $1,035-$4,025 each.
A stunning Art Deco bracelet in 18k gold inset, with over nine carats of diamonds, was the top lot of the fine jewelry, sliding on to a most appreciative wrist for $8,337; a pair of Louis Vuitton valaises (suitcases), in excellent condition with leather ribs and straps, hammered for $1,035 each; and an Otto Altenburg 5-foot baby grand piano with an immaculate black lacquer finish went for $8,510.
A fine American Baroque buffet in quarter sawn golden oak, executed in the late 19th century by R.J. Horner and in museum-quality condition, realized $9,200; a centennial center table in walnut and burl walnut, with a surface depicting the Great Seal of the United States, made $7,245; and a monumental French buffet, crafted in walnut and with curved and beveled glass vitrines, hit $4,312.
Returning to fine art, a pastel work by Edward Dufner (American, 1871-1957), titled “Children Playing at the Edge of a Stream,” crossed the block at $5,290. The 13” x 17” painting was signed lower right by the artist. And a 14” x 18” watercolor, also signed lower right, by Ogden Pleissner (American, 1905-1988), titled “Landscape With a Stream,” changed hands for $7,762.
Gallery 63's next big sale is slated for Saturday, September 23. Already consigned is an oil-on-canvas landscape by Albert Bierstadt, depicting two figures in a canoe; important Civil War letters and ephemera; and about 250 lots of fine furniture from the collection of a prominent Atlanta family. Watch the website for additional lots and information as the sale date approaches: www.Gallery63.net.
Gallery 63 is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call the firm directly, at (404) 252-2555. Or, you can e-mail them at Rbaron2@bellsouth.net. Gallery 63 is located at 4577 Roswell Rd., in the desirable Buckhead section of Atlanta. The firm relocated to the new space earlier this year, having outgrown its former facility.
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