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- Rough Riders historical memorabilia of James Robb Church, M.D., Late 19th/Early 20th Century From the Collection of James Robb Church, M.D., Assistant Surgeon assigned to 1st Volunteer Regiment (Rough Riders), Spanish-American War, comprising: A framed autographed and inscribed black and white photograph of Theodore Roosevelt, from Col. Theodore Roosevelt to James Church, inscribed: "To James Robb Church, 1st Vol Reg Surgeon from Theodore Roosevelt, Col 1st USV Calvary" Sight: 8.5" H x 5.5" W; frame: 15.625" H x 12.75" W x 0.5" D A framed personal letter from President Theodore Roosevelt to James Church, dated December 30, 1904 on White House letterhead Sight: 8.75" H x 6.75" W; frame: 10" H x 8.25" W x 0.375" D A custom tankard derived from an 1895 Berndorf German Mountain Howitzer 88mm shell, with an applied nickeled-silver handle and engraved shield which reads "From the Spanish Mountain Battery to the American Army, San Juan Hill, July 1st, 1898, James Robb Church," retrofitted for lamp wiring 7.625" H x 5.25" W x 3" D A leather cased Henry S. Wellcome Medal from the Association of Military Surgeons United States, awarded to J. R. Church, with accompanying full leather-bound booklet describing the award Medal: 1.875" Dia.; booklet: 3" H x 2.875" W Four hand-written diaries from James Robb Church, recording his observations and thoughts during his attachment to the French military medical corps in 1916, each diary is complete with detailed narratives and photographs of his journey during WWI 9 pieces Notes: Church was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 for his heroic act of carrying multiple wounded soldiers through a hail of Spanish bullets at the Battle of Las Guasimas, June 24th, 1898.
- - Eight signed Presidential certificates and a print of a proclamation; 1911 William H. Taft 16"x21"; 1913 Woodrow Wilson 18.75"x15.5"; 15.75"x6.75"; 1868 Andrew Johnson 18.75"x15.5"; 1907 Theodore Roosevelt 14"x18"; 1850 Zachary Taylor 17.25"x14.5"; print of Commonwealth of Massachusetts James Bowdoin ,Esq- 1787, 16"x13", etc.Eight signed Presidential certificates & a print of a proclamation; 1911 William H. Taft 16"x21"; 1913 Woodrow Wilson 18.75"x15.5"; 15.75"x6.75"; 1868 Andrew Johnson 18.75"x15.5"; 1907 Theodore Roosevelt 14"x18"; 1850 Zachary Taylor 17.25"x14.5"; Commonwealth of Massachusetts James Bowdoin ,Esq- 1787 16"x13"Top Row: Left-william Howard Taft appointing J. Horrigan to Postmaster at Sonia county Michigan, March 11, 1911. Middle- Print of James Bowdoin Proclamation regarding treason & rebellion, Boston Feb. 17, 1787. Right- John Calvin Coolidge appointing Edwin L. Neville of Ohio to a Foreign Service Officer of Class Three, Dec. 20, 1924Middle Row: Left- Theodore Roosevelt appointing John R. Farnum(?) as a Notary Public for the District of Columbia, March 2, 1907. Middle- Andrew Johnson conferring on William Fisher of the U.S. Volunteers... the Rank of Major by Brevet... For Gallant and Meritorious Conduct at the Battle of Cedar Mountain, Virginia on August 9, 1862, issued June 17, 1868. Right- Woodrow Wilson appointing Nicholas H. Stacey/Stavey(?) a Passed Asst. Paymaster in the Navy with the rank of Lieutenant on the Retired List, March 16, 1917.Bottom Row: Left- Zachary Taylor authorizing(?) Theo. Beuford(?) and Robert Weynard(?)new guns for (cannot read name of ship)October 19, 18??. Right- Zachary Taylor appointing Gustavius A. DeRussy First Lieutenant in the Fourth Regiment of Artillery, March 20, 1850.Previously un-photographed, but now appears as a single certificate below: Theodore Roosevelt appointing John Taylor Bottomley First Lieutenant in the Medical Reserve Corps of the Army..., December 23, 1908, with what appears to be the date recorded in the upper left of January 4, 1909 - |
- THE "BEATEN PARTY": "WE STAND UNFLINCHINGLY BY OUR PRINCIPLES" ROOSEVELT, THEODORE. Typed Letter Signed, with a few holograph corrections, to Edwin A. Van Valkenburg ("Dear Van"), outlining his strategy for the Progressive Party after the dismal results of the 1914 Congressional elections. 2 pages, 4to, personal stationery, written on two sheets; horizontal folds, faint edge toning, minor paper clip staining at upper left. (TFC) New York, 23 November 1914". . . [I]f the meeting is held, all that should be done should be an announcement that we stand unflinchingly by our principles and will never abandon them, that we stand for the entire Progressive platform and that events during the past two years have made it clear beyond possibility of doubt that the social and economic measures we have advocated are entirely right and that, for example, the only possible way of satisfactorily solving the tariff and trust questions will be the methods we have outlined and that . . . with the adoption of these methods should go the adoption of Women's Compensation and Child Labor laws. "As a matter of fact, what we now say is of very small consequence. Immediately after an election is a poor time for the beaten party to expect to be listened to . . . . A year hence it may be that our words will carry great weight, and then we will be pointing out what has been done . . . . I personally like [George] Record and [Amos] Pinchot and I should treat them with all possible courtesy but I would also frankly say that in view of their attitude we are bound to feel that all they are anxious to do is to damage the Progressive party . . . . [Pinchot] says that we have lost by not being radical enough. As we have lost not to the Democrats but to Penrose and Barnes, this statement is equivalent to saying that people, because they thought we were not radical enough, turned and voted for . . . the ultra-conservatives and reactionaries everywhere. Such a statement is too nonsensical to discuss and we dignify Amos Pinchot needlessly by giving the slightest heed to his antics." Published in Letters of Theodore Roosevelt, ed. Morison, vol. 7.
- Winchester Model 1895 . 30-06 Rifle: For your consideration is an exceptional condition, special order Winchester Model 1895 in rare . 30-06 caliber with 24” barrel, serial number 412700. According to the Winchester records housed at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, this serial number indicates that this fine rifle was manufactured in 1921. The standard caliber for the Model 1895 was . 30-40 Krag making a rifle chambered in . 30-06 a scarce variation. Additionally, this rifle was special ordered with a flat shotgun butt stock. Standard for this model was a curved crescent butt plate. On a hard kicking, powerful caliber like the . 30-06, a shotgun butt plate will be much more pleasant to shoot than a curved butt plate because the shotgun butt plate spreads the recoil over the entire surface of the butt plate where the curved crescent butt plate centers the recoil in the middle. Riflemen, such as Theodore Roosevelt, always ordered powerful cartridge firing rifles with shotgun butt plates. This 98 year old example displays beautiful original blue covering nearly all of the barrel and receiver with only very light edge wear. Normally, Winchester rifles of this vintage show heavy flaking and blue wear especially to the receiver. It is very unusual and desirable to find a Model 1895 with this excellent coverage of bright blue on the receiver. Additionally, this example is fitted with a correct for period Lyman receiver sight. The front sight is a matching Lyman blade/bead along with a filler in the rear sight dovetail. All the correct Winchester markings on the barrel and upper tang are sharp and clear. The black hard rubber butt plate is in excellent condition with no chips or cracks and is correctly embossed with the Winchester logo etc. The stock shows a higher than standard grade of walnut, is in superb condition and shows very tight wood to metal fit. The forend with correct ebony inlay schnable tip is equally excellent and is fitted with an optional forend retaining screw/sling swivel. Usually this was paired with a loop-style sling that fit over the butt plate and stock which did not require a sling swivel stud in the butt stock. The action on this example is tight and the bore is excellent, bright and has very sharp rifling. This is a scarce caliber Model 1895 that has seen minimal use. The 1895 was another Jonathan Browning designed action that is unique among lever action rifles in that it has a box magazine ahead of the trigger designed to hold five cartridges. Because the loaded rounds in the magazine are stacked, pointed bullets could be utilized offering much better terminal ballistics than the blunt, flat nose bullets required for tubular magazines in which one cartridge is placed directly ahead of the previous with the bullet tip centered on the primer on the next shell. A pointed bullet could detonate another round in the magazine when so loaded. Obviously, this is not the case with the magazine of a Model 1895. Interestingly, the Model 1895 in several calibers accompanied Theodore Roosevelt on his famed year-long African Safari of 1909. At the time it was considered the most modern and powerful lever action rifle of its day. This is a superb special order example in a very scarce and desirable caliber. This firearm qualifies as a Curio & Relic Long Gun, and requires FFL Transfer or NICS Background Check. Condition For a complete representation of condition and for additional images please call 800-686-4216. It is the buyer’s responsibility to view each image and preview the item to determine condition.
- THEODORE ROOSEVELT SIGNED LETTER. The typed letter pen signed on White House letterhead as President of the United States. Dated October 31, 1907. Marked “Personal”. The recipient, Frederic J. Stimson (1855-1943) was Harvard professor of comparative legislation, Wilson’s ambassador to Argentina (1914-1921, co-founder of the “Harvard Lampoon” and the author of notable works of both fiction and law. Roosevelt writes “assuming” Stimson was misquoted in the Boston Record Herald in his assertion the Roosevelt (“or his agent”) had inappropriately contacted “a certain other Judge-a higher Judge-was approached…and asked whether he would affirm this decision if it were appealed and cam before his court…”. Folio sheet folded to one page, 8vo, in fine condition with the original Whit House envelope also headed (in blue) “Personal”. Accompanied by a fair copy in Stimson’s hand refusing the President’s request that Stimson deny in the press “…the slanderous and absolutely baseless falsehood in question…”. SIZE: 9” x 7”. CONDITION: Very good. 9-27155
- SPECIAL & WONDERFUL MOST UNUSUAL COLT SINGLE ACTION ARMY REVOLVER. Cal. 22. SN 95703. Possibly & probably the very first Colt Single Action produced in 22 cal. It has nickel finish with 7-1/2" bbl, a dovetailed front sight with Rocky Mountain blade that appears to be a modified Colt Lightning sight. Bbl has block letter 1-line address and left side is marked "22-R.F.". Close examination of bbl does not disclose any relining or alteration from another bbl, therefore the assumption is that this is a Colt factory bbl. It has typical crown this cataloguer has observed on other Colt single action 22's. Top of frame has been dovetailed and has a tiny fixed sight at rear end that has a tiny star stamped on top. Left side of frame has 3-line patent dates and left front web of trigger guard is marked "22 CAL", typical markings Colt placed on their "buy-back" military revolvers that they re-worked and sold to public. Bottom of bbl at frame is faintly stamped "22M". This is assumed to mean Model 22 and there is an "O" by the ejector rod screw stud. The inspector initials on frame appear to have been obliterated during refinish process; however a small "G" appears by serial numbers on trigger guard & butt strap. This is inspector mark of John E. Greer who was the inspector on this series of cavalry revolvers with David F. Clark. Frame firing pin hole was plugged with a tiny rectangular slot cut for rimfire firing pin nose. Hammer is typical Colt rimfire, not an altered centerfire hammer. It has standard rimfire nose secured with two rivets. Cylinder has had chambers professionally sleeved to 22 cal and has the last two digits of serial number between two of chambers and there is a tiny "S" & punch dot in another area. No serial number was observed on outside diameter of cylinder. It was noted that face of cyl is lightly pitted, however sleeves are not pitted leading one to speculate that this was a used revolver when factory made alterations. It has an early, probably orig, base pin with dimple in the end. Screws are blued and appear to be orig to revolver. It has 1-pc walnut grip with number "4573" in back strap channel. Inside of front trigger guard web has been grooved, prior to nickel-plating, apparently for use of a devise to hold trigger for a trick shot artist. Accompanied by two Colt Factory letters, one dated 1958 and the other dated 2004, supplying identical information regarding configuration of revolver as having been shipped in 22 cal with 7-1/2" bbl, nickel finish, wood grip to "Vic Smith", address unavailable on May 21, 1886. Under remarks in 2004 letter it states that there is a second listing for this serial number as a 45 caliber with blue finish sold to the government and delivered Aug. 3, 1883. This leads one to understand that this is a "buy-back" revolver which was subsequently altered to its current configuration by factory, therefore making it the first 22 caliber single action army revolver. On p. 240 of The Book of Colt Firearms, Wilson, this revolver, by serial number, is listed as the first single action army in 22 rimfire. It was shipped about a full year before Colt shipped the first production single action 22 in May of 1887. It is also accompanied by a large volume of correspondence regarding Vic Smith, who was apparently a certified character & frontiersman and was a contemporary of several of the frontier notables such as Liver Eatin' Johnston, the Marquis d'Mours, John X. Biedler, Yellowstone Kelly & future President Roosevelt. He was an accomplished buffalo hunter, fresh meat forager for the U.S. Army, a dispatch rider and scout under Col. Terry & Gen. Miles. He was also a trapper & well-regarded as an Indian fighter. He was a successful hunting guide for important Easterners & royalty traveling to the West. During his days on the frontier he was known as "Yellowstone Vic", whose proper name was Victor Grant Smith. He was a prolific shooter, said to have fired as many as 20,000 rnds a year. He is mentioned by name in Hunting Trips of a Ranchman, Theodore Roosevelt. He is said to have tied the record for the most buffalo killed from a single stand, that being 107 in an hour. After the buffalo were gone and fences had been erected, Smith became a trick shot artist and toured with a number of circuses and Wild West shows. He is subject of the book The Champion Buffalo Hunter, Smith & Prodgers, which is the frontier memoirs of Yellowstone Vic Smith, a copy of which accompanies this revolver. CONDITION: Very fine. Overall retains most of its factory nickel finish with light muzzle edge wear and some flaking on hammer. Grip is sound with a smooth hand rubbed patina. Will not hold on safety notch, otherwise mechanics are fine with strong bright bore having scattered light pitting. 4-56610 JR63 (10,000-20,000)
- Photographic Archive of Miles City Montana Photographer R.C. Morrison 1880s-1890s Cowan's is proud to present the photographic archive of pioneer Montana photographer Robert C. Morrison (1850-1938) descended directly in the family of the photographer and available for sale for the first time. R.C. Morrison arrived in Miles City Montana in 1878 when it was a tiny sutler's outpost serving General Miles' Ft. Keogh and remained there until his death sixty years later. Originally a sign painter he found a new creative outlet in photography and over those sixty years managed to photograph just about everything subject available to him. He operated a professional studio ca 1880s-1990s making him a contemporary of classic Western photographers L.A. Huffman and Christian Barthelmess but much of his work seems to have been purely for his own enjoyment. Morrison was an eccentric fellow with an eye for the unusual and you can sense an almost childlike enthusiasm for his work evidenced by offbeat subject matter and experimentation in a time when photography was viewed by most as a serious and scientific endeavor. What really distinguishes the collection though is the setting; located at the intersection of army Indian pioneer and cowboy culture Miles City embodied everything about the American West and Morrison was there to capture it from its rugged infancy until long after the railroads reservations and barbed wire had erased all notions of the frontier.With the exception of the collection presented here R.C. Morrison's heirs have donated his entire collection (including 3 600 glass negatives) to the Montana Historical Society. Several of these images were made available to the public for the first time in a Smithsonian.com feature by Donna Lucey published October 5 2009. This exclusivity combined with the diverse subject matter Morrison's unusual style and his relationship with some of the giants of Western photography make this a truly unique opportunity.The archive contains over 1 700 photographs plus related materials. About half of the photographs are duplicates varying somewhat in clarity condition and mount and roughly 10% by other photographers. The contents are summarized later in this description and fully accounted for in a spreadsheet available upon request.What we know about R.C. Morrison is limited. His photographs give us a rough sketch of his life from the time he arrived in Miles City at age 28 but with little context. It is not clear if he was a participant in or merely an observer of the varied events he photographed nor is it always clear which photographs were taken for profit and which for hobby. The documents included in the archive are primarily business related either inquiries about Morrison's sign painting business or correspondence regarding cameras and other photographic equipment. Most of what we know comes from Morrison's direct descendants who provided us with family history recorded by Morrison's daughter and granddaughter.Morrison was born in Pennsylvania in 1850 and the family believes he lived there into his young adulthood when he decided to make the journey west. For reasons unknown and without any particular destination he left the East for good around 1874. Some time later he ended up in Denver where he joined the Diamond R cattle drive as a cook following the beef north through Wyoming Western Nebraska and the Badlands earning extra money by painting signs for businesses that had sprung up around the forts and mines along the trails. One of these outposts was Fort Keogh hastily constructed by General Nelson Miles on a barren plain along the Yellowstone River in response to the Cheyenne victory over Custer in 1876. It was especially remote and the young men stationed there were easy targets for entrepreneurs who soon came peddling booze and women setting up shop just outside the gates. "Miles City " so named either in honor of or in satire of the general who despised its effect on his soldiers quickly proved to be the natural northern terminus of the cattle drives offering much needed entertainment for lonely weary cattle hands such as R.C. Morrison. He homesteaded along the North Sunday Creek in 1878 alone spending the next few years hunting buffalo painting and practicing wet-plate photography. He mostly kept to himself but did seek out guidance from local photographers likely including Huffman and Barthelmess and made efforts to befriend local Crow and Cheyenne in pursuit of their hunting and trapping secrets. And consequently he was often summoned for his own hunting prowess. It is even reported in a Miles City history book available at the Range Riders Museum (which is today operated by a descendant of Barthelmess) that Morrison acted as a guide for Theodore Roosevelt when he was in the area in the 1880s and was recognized by him when the former president visited again ca 1912. Sometime between 1882 and 1885 he married 17-year-old Canadian orphan Mary Jane Lane moved into town and purchased a small photography studio determined to provide for his children. The couple had three - Gladys Clee and Glenn - and through them R.C. seemed to overcome his antisocial isolationist bent. He was an active citizen of Miles City in the 1890s operating both a sign painting business and a photography studio. He held a reputation as an expert hunter and trapper and even played violin with the Miles City opera.But things would change. Mary Jane divorced R.C. and married William Reed a successful tin shop owner nearly half his age who would later become mayor of Miles City. This apparently led Morrison back to his solitary ways spending days at a time on the range and when his only son Glenn a firefighter was killed in a stable fire in 1915 R.C. Morrison went back out into the wild. Morrison's photographs as an older man support this account. Almost all are taken in remote locations or show Morrison hunting with his dog Monte (sometimes with up to 30 skins at a single camp). The exceptions are photographs of an aged Morrison at Miles City celebrations such as the Pioneer Days festival ca 1920-30s probably taken by his daughters. In these he appears as a true mountain man sporting a long gray beard handmade clothing and his trusty Sharps rifle as children look on in wonder as if he was a storybook character come to life Morrison wears a smile not often seen in photographs of his younger self and seems to revel in the role. (find newspaper clipping calling him Miles City's longest tenured resident).Morrison and His Relationship to Huffman and Barthelmess (1854-1906).There is no written record of the relationship between Morrison and his more famous contemporaries L.A. Huffman and Christian Barthelmess but the archive provides evidence that their must have been a brotherhood of sorts among the few early lensmen of Miles City. The three surely would have met in passing the population hovered around 1 000 until the turn-of-the-century but signs point to a mutual respect between the photographers and even a trading of negatives. Some of the earliest photographs of R.C. Morrison included in this archive including his wedding photographs were taken at Huffman's studio and he and his family were photographed by Huffman even after Morrison opened his own studio. Similarly Barthelmess family members appear in a handful of Morrison's portraits. When Christian Barthelmess was killed digging a sewer trench in 1906 it was Morrison who took his postmortem photographs (viewable in the Smithsonian article but not included in this archive) and just recently several hundred of army photographer's negatives have been identified in the Morrison collection at the MHS suggesting a deeper relationship between the two men and their families.By viewing just a small sample of the photography of Huffman and Barthelmess it is quite clear that both had a firm sense of the historical and artistic value their work would one day claim. Barthelmess was fascinated by military life and certainly understood his Indian photographs were important documentation of a vanishing native culture. Many of Huffman's shots of the round-ups on the open range seem like a wide angle view of a Frederic Remington painting capturing the essence of an era in a single expansive view so perfect that one wonders if it was contrived. They obviously weren't and the fact that Huffman chose just a couple dozen of his thousands of negatives to publish and sell in his Miles City gallery prove that they resulted from patience persistence and discrimination. Morrison seems to have shot whatever interested him at the moment with no artistic mission guiding his eye. In our opinion this was his greatest asset. While Huffman and Barthelmess provide us with an idealized sometimes poignant view of life on the range Morrison's photographs show life as it was.And while he may not have possessed a deliberate artistic vision a distinct style certainly emerged. Morrison couldn't just point-and-shoot of course and equipment was costly. The fact he spent his time and money on shots that had little commercial appeal and often included unusual subjects causes one to contemplate each photograph a little further.The archive is comprised as follows:900+ albumen cabinet cards mostly studio portraits on a variety of R.C. Morrison mounts and many with the name of the subject inscribed on verso.300+ larger albumen prints most 5 x 7 in. or 6 x 8 in. on 8 x 10 in. or 10 x 12 in. mounts of subjects including cowboys Indians soldiers Miles City street scenes the construction of two bridges and much more.200+ miscellaneous photographs including tintypes mounted prints by other photographers and early 20th century mounted and unmounted silver prints.150+ miscellaneous documents letters receipts advertisements and other ephemera including: an 1884 land grant and an 1888 bill of indenture both named to Jean Lane a relative of Morrison's wife described in the indenture as a Half-breed from Manitoba; a brand book; plans for Morrison's studio; and a rare printed piece from early Fort Keogh photographer John Fouch.Four cameras including a No. 1 Panoram-Kodak Model D and early Eastman camera with 1884 patent a Snappa camera and a large unmarked camera.Ten glass negatives including a fine 5 x 8 in. negative of a group of firemen drinking and playing poker.
- Winchester Model 1886 . 33 WCF Lever Action Rifle: This is an exceedingly rare and factory verified, special order Winchester 1886 Extra Lightweight Sporting rifle in smokeless powder . 33 WCF (Winchester Center Fire) chambering. This rifle has a serial number of 135107, indicating a manufacture date of 1905. The famed 1886 was one of John Moses Browning’s best and strongest designs. It was especially popular in the West, where a repeating rifle capable of handling the largest and most powerful cartridges of the day was desirable. Theodore Roosevelt also favored the Winchester 1886. (TR was president when this fine Winchester was produced. ) This high condition Model 1886 rifle displays some very unusual, rare, and desirable features. By this date, Winchester was making very few 1886 rifles each year. Since the old black powder cartridges of a decade before were rapidly becoming obsolete, Winchester brought out the . 33WCF cartridge in 1902 specifically for the Model 1886. This advanced cartridge design was simply the . 45-70 case necked down to accept . 338” diameter jacketed bullets. At the time, it was the most powerful cartridge offered in any tubular magazine lever action rifle and was used with great success on the largest game. The standard . 33 WCF rifle was made as an extra lightweight model with 24” round barrel, half magazine, and flat shotgun butt plate. This example has the very rarely seen special order pistol grip butt stock with correct Winchester embossed hard rubber grip cap. It was also special ordered with a full magazine, which is seldom seen on this model. Further, the butt stock was ordered with a “rifle” curved or crescent shaped butt plate, which is also almost never seen on this model. The special aspects of this fine rifle have been verified by the Cody, Wyoming Firearms Museum at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, which contains the original Winchester shipping records. Members of the museum may contact the records department for specific Winchester rifle data. This was done with this rifle. The “Call-In” sheet that accompanies the Model 1886 with serial number 135107 reveals that this serial number was applied to a rifle of . 33 caliber with a round barrel. It further states that it was factory fitted with a pistol grip stock, full magazine, and rifle butt. It was received in the Winchester warehouse on September 16, 1905 and shipped from the warehouse on September 19, 1905. This rare Winchester Model 1886 shows very tight wood to metal fitting, which indicates that the stock and forearm have never been sanded. The 24” round barrel shows a beautiful deep and bright blue finish, as does the long full magazine tube that was special ordered for this rifle. The barrel is fitted with a correct short ramp front sight paired with a flat top buckhorn rear sight, complete with sliding elevation bar. The correct blued steel receiver displays fine blue mixing with silver patina and excellent deep blue on the bolt at the top of the receiver. The rare rifle butt plate and fore end cap also display fine blue. The barrel has correct Model 1886 markings, along with the correct Winchester address and “. 33 WCF” caliber stamping, plus the “Nickel Steel Especially For Smokeless Powder” marking used for this chambering. The upper tang also shows fine correct Winchester markings. The screw heads are excellent; the walnut butt stock and fore end are also excellent. All pistol grip lever action Winchesters are rare and are seldom seen. They are especially unusual on the Model 1886. According to the standard book, “THE WINCHESTER HANDBOOK” by George Madis, of the nearly 160, 000 Model 1886s manufactured only 796 had pistol grip stocks and 867 had special butt plates. This, combined with the special full length magazine on this extra lightweight model, make this a most unusual and attractive rifle. The action is tight and the bore is sharp and in excellent condition. This is a very rare variation, 116 year old special order 1886 Winchester with a particularly attractive appearance. Serial Number: 135107. This firearm qualifies as a Curio & Relic firearm and requires FFL Transfer or NICS Background Check.
- MAGNIFICENT AND HISTORIC BANNER GIVEN TO MAJOR GENERAL LEONARD WOOD, COMMANDER OF THE "ROUGH RIDERS," MILITARY GOVERNOR OF CUBA AND MEDAL OF HONOR WINNER. This lot consists of a photograph of General Wood in uniform, various records of his career and a wonderful silk banner presented to him by the people of Cuba following his service as Military Governor. The swallowtail banner is fashioned of silver colored silk with gilt cloth fringe measuring 31" x 45" with a gold painted legend reading "Los Canpesinos/de la/PROVINCIA de SANTA CLARA/ al DIGNO GENERAL/WOOD." A large five pointed star with a small blue 5-pointed star is painted in the center. The top is reinforced with a new blue nylon loop for a pole and some modern repairs have been worked in the corners where separation has occurred. The photograph is a 3/4 standing view of General Wood, early in his career, in full dress uniform. Accompanying the group is a history of his career and information regarding his burial (and family member grave sites) in Arlington National Cemetery. Wood was born in New Hampshire in 1860. He graduated from the Harvard Medical School in 1883. He accepted a position with the U.S. Army as a physician in 1883 and was assigned to Fort Huachuca, Arizona. During the last campaign against Geronimo, Wood voluntarily carried dispatches a distance of some 100 miles through hostile territory, riding over 70 miles in one day and walking nearly 30 miles the next. For several weeks. While in close pursuit of Geronimo, he commanded a detachment of Infantry. For his actions he was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1898. He went on the serve the Army in a number of medical positions and was chosen to be the personal physician to President William McKinley. During the War with Spain he pursued line responsibility and was given command of the 1st Volunteer Cavalry. His second in command was Theodore Roosevelt. General Wood led his regiment, soon to be known as the "Rough Riders" at Las Guiasimas and San Juan Hill. He led the 2nd Volunteer Cavalry for the remainder of the war. Following the end of the war, Wood remained in Cuba and was appointed the Military Governor from 1900-1902. Before leaving this post he received a commission as Brigadier General. After 1902 he became Commander of the Philippines division, Commander of the Department of the East and, in 1910, he was named chief of Staff of the Army, the first medical officer to ever hold that post. His contributions to army organization and command are noteworthy. General Wood trained the 89th and 10th Infantry Divisions for World War I and accepted a promotion to Major General. He ran for the Republican nomination for President in 1920 but was beaten by Warren Harding. He retired from the Army in 1921 to become the governor General of the Philippines until 1927. This banner and the photograph represent just one aspect of a brilliant military career and a treasured artifact directly related to a heroic soldier and Medal of Honor winner. CONDITION: The banner is very presentable and makes a nice appearance. The modern addition of a nylon band at the top and the repairs surrounding it are neatly done, but detract from the originality of the piece. It makes a very nice display and is related to one of the U.S. Army’s most heroic and famous officers. 4-51398 CW10 (6,500-8,000)
- Thomas L. McKenney (American 1785-1859) and James Hall (1793-1868): the George Strother Gaines (1784-1873) Original Subscriber Set of the History of the Indian Tribes of North America 1837-1844 3 vols. in folio 20 in. x 14 1/4 in. with 120 hand-colored lithographic plates after James Otto Lewis Charles Bird King Karl Bodmer P. Rhindesbacher and R. M. Sully drawn on stone by A. Newsome A. Hoffy Ralph Trembley Henry Dacre and others printed and colored by J. T. Bowen; a leaf titled "The Genuineness of the Portrait of Pocahontas" a page of lithographed maps "Localities of all the Indian Tribes in North America in 1833" 17 pp of facsimile signatures of the original subscribers including "Geo. S. Gaines" under the heading for Mobile & Ala. three-quarter red leather over marbled boards. Provenance: Descended in the family of pioneer and statesman George Strother Gaines to the present owner. Gaines was a prominent figure in 19th century Alabama and Mississippi who played a pivotal role in the development of those states. As Assistant Trader with the Choctaw Trading House Gaines established close relationships with the local Indian tribes including the Choctaw and the Chickasaw. Gaines later oversaw the relocation of approximately 6 000 Choctaws from Mississippi to Oklahoma with very few casualties and was praised by the Mobile Commercial Register for his consideration for the well-being of the Choctaw travelers although the expense was three times greater than the original estimate for the relocation effort. Note: Thomas McKenney's and James Hall's monumental History of the Indian Tribes constitutes the most important opening chapter of a closely linked series of intimately related works on the great subject of the native populations of North America. It is true that it had been - somewhat unfairly - preceded by a couple of years with the hurried publication of the "Portfolio" of 1835 by James Otto Lewis who had been a crucial and major contributor (in 1826-27) to McKenney's original idea of recording visually the distinctive costumes and accessories of the major Indian chiefs to negotiate treaties with the Federal Government. But Charles Bird King in fact repainted almost all Lewis's images for this much larger edition and Bowen did a much improved version of publishing them; the 120 plates of this definitive edition draw on the talents of many other artists and the fame of their results has justly eclipsed by far the essentially unimportant plates of the 1835 "Portfolio". McKenney himself was a kind of inspired functionary who as Superintendent of the Indian Trade Bureau under Presidents Madison and Monroe (2 April 1816 to 22 May 1822 when the post was abolished) quickly succeeded himself as first Superintendent of the Bureau of Indian Affairs under the aegis of the War Department (11 March 1824) in which capacity he served also Presidents J. Q. Adams and Andrew Jackson; he was finally dismissed by the latter on 1 October 1830. The 15 years of his incumbency were industriously spent in securing portraits of the notable chieftains who negotiated the Federal treaties both in Washington and in the field. McKenney traveled indefatigably and entertained the chiefs very lavishly in Washington - so much so that (unjustified) enquiries into his expenses eventually forced him from office. His original gallery of Indian portraits (in the former War Department on the site of the Old Executive Office Building) perished in the burning of the Smithsonian Institution in 1865; it had been providentially copied for this publication by the young Henry Inman (1801-1846) and his own expanded-format portraits are now at Harvard University. James Hall was an able writer who was found by McKenney after he left office: it took a half-dozen years for Hall to undertake the subscriptions and arrange the publication for which the original subscribers' contributions were $120 per set. In the midst of the tragic saga of the Indian "removals" to the eventual state of Oklahoma (principally occurring in 1838-1842) and of this great work by McKenney and Hall (1837-1844) a younger artist of extraordinary field experience George Catlin (1796-1872) brought out his Letters and Notes on the Manners Customs and Condition of the North American Indian in 2 volumes in London in 1841. The second definitive set of Catlin's paintings (numbering some 500 items) was acquired by Paul Mellon for the National Gallery of Art in Washington: Catlin's engaging narrative style provides the best 19th-century source for the lives rituals and ceremonies of his directly-experienced subjects. Finally The North American Indian lavishly sponsored by J. Pierpont Morgan under the patronage of President Theodore Roosevelt brought to the public the marvelous photogravures of Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868-1954) in 20 volumes over the years 1907 to 1930. Indeed it may justly be said that the collected images of Catlin as well as of McKenney and Hall were both destined for supererogation only by the new invention of photography. Introduced into America as it was in the earliest days of the 1840s with striking portraits of North America's native peoples in many successive techniques over the next 60 years photography achieved a kind of bittersweet closure to the saga of "the vanishing race" in the poignant images of E. S. Curtis - a fitting culmination of the efforts of the preceding century nowhere better epitomized than in McKenney and Hall to celebrate the grandeur and dignity of the earliest populations of the American frontier. Reference: James P. Pate The Reminiscences of George Strother Gaines Pioneer and Statesman of Early Alabama and Mississippi 1805-1843 The University of Alabama Press 1998. Special PDF
- Samuel Lawrence Early New York Representative & the Lawrence Family Manuscript Archive An extensive archive of approximately 67 documents of the noted Lawrence family of New York spanning the years 1799 to 1908. Dealing primarily with Congressman Samuel Lawrence (1773-1837) but also concerning among other things the sea trade of Samuel??Ts uncle captain Andrew Lawrence from 1799 to 1801 on the brigs America Fair Columbian and Anna Elizabeth. The nautical items include the 1799 sworn testimony of Captain Andrew Lawrence of his witnessing the grounding of the ship Grand Turk in a nighttime gale on the reefs off Mango Key and his rescue of the captain and crew; entry papers for the brig America for the ports of Guadeloupe and Kingston Jamaica; several documents concerning the wine trade in Spain including a May 1800 contract with a Spanish wine merchant for a cargo of red wine (paying in silver reals); and an employment contract for a crew for the brig America??Ts voyage to Spain and back stopping in Madeira. Other sea-related items are a September 1813 letter to Samuel describing the American privateers Scourge and Rattlesnake preying on British shipping around Norway in the War of 1812 and a December 3 1822 issue of the National Intelligencer featuring a front page account of the USS Alligator single-handedly tackling a pirate squadron off the coast of Cuba and rescuing five captured American ships and their crews. Many letters in this archive revolve around the lengthy fight starting in 1816 between the Lawrences and the local government concerning the seizure of part of their land in Greenwich to lengthen 8th Avenue. These letters include hand-drawn plats of the area in question. Other letters from 1815 concern the scarcity of goods for the Lawrences??T businesses in upper New York state caused by the embargo in the War of 1812 but also the explosion in population of the area. Another interesting set of documents are the original contract including floor plans for the construction of the mansion known as the Lawrence Homestead and now known as the Fontainebleau Inn on Lake Cayuta in what was then Tioga County New York. Perhaps the most interesting business-related document is an 1824 award of $18 920.52 to Lawrence for a spoliation claim against the government of Spain under the terms of the Adam-Oniz Treaty. This may be from seizures of ships and/or cargoes during the war of 1812 since the Lawrences were involved in the Spanish wine trade. Several documents relate to the disposition of the estate of Jonathan Lawrence Samuel??Ts father. In addition to inventories of the estate there is an 1817 contract signed by the other heirs selling their partial claims to the slave Thomas Henry to Samuel signed and sealed by John Albert Joseph and William Lawrence. There is also a certified copy of the 1875 will of Samuel Richardson uncle to Samuel Lawrence??Ts son also named Samuel. State political items include the November 9 1816 appointment of Samuel as a Presidential elector for New York signed by Governor Daniel D. Tompkins; and a November 10 1820 letter from Richard Riker Recorder of New York City and a relative of Lawrence??Ts mother thanking Lawrence for ending the evils which have marked the Clinton administration (curious for the fact that in 1802 Riker was Clinton??Ts second in a duel stemming from the Hamilton/Burr duel). Documents from Lawrence??Ts career as Congressman include three printed dinner invitations from Secretary of State John Quincy Adams and his wife for balls in Washington DC given on January 8 18 and February 19 1824; a January 6 1824 letter from Lawrence to his wife from Washington DC on the difficulty in getting a Congressional caucus assembled to nominate a candidate for President (William H. Crawford would eventually get the nod for the contentious 1824 election); and a December 23 1823 ALS from John McLean as Postmaster General regarding the establishment of a new post office in Lawrence??Ts home district. A copy of the Statesman newspaper of New York City dated July 16 1824 contains a long article about the heated public disagreements between the President (Monroe) and his Secretary of State (John Q. Adams). There are several private letters from Samuel to his wife both from Albany as an Assemblyman of New York and as Congressman many with free franks. One letter warns his wife that their son has run away from his grandfather??Ts house due to being punished for habitual truancy and is on his way home. Other personal papers include a December 19 1835 New York City letter from Jonathan Lawrence to Samuel regarding the Great Fire of New York and the losses sustained by the family; and a large May 20 1858 passport document for Jonathan S. Lawrence to travel in the Empire of Austria signed by US consul in Trieste William A. Buffum. Dr G.H. Butler married the granddaughter of Samuel Lawrence Henrietta who was the last Lawrence blood relative to live in the mansion on Cayuta Lake. Butler papers include two 1869 letters of recommendation from Civil War commanders regarding his medical skill an 1886 ANS from Dublin Castle by John Bernard Burke of Burke??Ts Peerage and a manuscript treatment on the Arms of the Butler family also signed by Burke as Ulster King of Arms. Another genealogical document is a Lawrence family tree starting with an ancestor who was a Crusader at Acre in 1191 and ending at 1838. Associated items include two partial letters one apparently dated February 22 1603 and bearing the signature of Thomas Sackville Lord Buckhurst; and the other a partial document thought to date from around the same time and contain the names of early settlers of Nantucket including Thomas Coffin. There are three Albert Gallatin-related items: a printed 1806 policy letter to Congress regarding the public lands in the Indiana Territory a lithograph and an August 1802 ALS as Secretary of the Treasury with integrated free frank. Another curious piece is a recipe for the mass curing of hams (10 hams of about 6# each) annotated on reverse as being from Governor John Jay of New York! The last item is a blistering two-page letter written on election day in 1908 by William McKay excoriating the despotic rule of Theodore Roosevelt.
- TWO GEORGE WASHINGTON INAUGURAL COMMEMORATIVE HATCHET WALL PLAQUES. Together with a variety of Presidential commemorative items. Comprised of a carved wood Theodore Roosevelt bust a metal capital building souvenir box pair of Abraham Lincoln bookends metal Abraham Lincoln profile plaque two George Washington figures and other Condition: No Specific Condition Recorded - Sold As Is
- Abraham Lincoln Pardon, Book and Author Autographs President Abraham Lincoln signed pardon release order for Wilburn Bybee dated Oct. 7, 1864, partially printed on blue paper, approx. 8" x 10", adhered within the book "Abraham Lincoln, A History" by John G. Nicolay and John Hay (New York: The Century Company, 1890; measuring 9" x 6 1/2"), along with unrelated letters autographed by the book's authors. These letters, also adhered to the front leaves, include a handwritten note on Supreme Court of the United States letterhead addressed to Harry Hance of West Chester, PA and dated March 11, 1886, reading "My Dear Sir, I regret I am unable to send you an autograph of President Lincoln or to indicate where one could be obtained. Yours Truly, John G. Nicolay"; and a printed note, signed in ink, on Department of State letterhead dated April 6, 1901 and addressed to Fred M. Hopkins of New York, reading "Dear Sir: The address you speak of was published by John Lane in London. I think he also has a publishing office in New York. I am not able to say whether he has any copies of the address on hand. I regret I have none myself. Yours sincerely, John Hay." A note fully adhered to the front fly leaf from the bookseller Harry E. Davis of Chicago explains that this book was the first of ten volumes of the original 1890 edition of the first book publication of "Abraham Lincoln: A History" by Nicolay and Hay; that the three signed inserts contain original signatures; and that the book was bound in full dark blue Morocco with emblematic tooling to the order of Randall E. Briscoe, Houston, Texas, 1952. John Nicolay (1831-1902) and John Hay (1838-1905) were Lincoln's private secretaries and biographers. After Lincoln's assassination, both continued in political careers. Nicolay went on to be Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court and Hay later became the U.S. Secretary of State under William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Wilburn Bybee of Barren County, Kentucky, was incarcerated for "Robbing the U.S. Mail." His pardon case file is on record at the National Archives/Library of Congress and may be viewed online at https://lincolnpapers2.dataformat.com/images/1864/10/243400.pdf . Provenance: the estate of Capt. L. Bush Cole, Nashville, Tennessee (formerly of Texas). (Higher-resolution photos are available at www.caseantiques.com)
- Arthur Burdett Frost (1851 Quail - A Covey Rise, 1895
signed "A.B. Frost" lower right
watercolor, 14 by 22 in.
The original owner of this painting, Clarence Otis Bigelow, was born in 1851 in Rhode Island, the youngest son of soap manufacturer William Marlin Bigelow. Bigelow was a member of the Sons of the Revolution as a descendent of John Bigelow, whose marriage was the first recorded in Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1633.
C.O. Bigelow had a long and successful career as the owner of an eponymous apothecary in Greenwich Village, New York, which still operates from its landmark building today. He served as the president and founder of the West Side Savings Bank, as Treasurer of the College of the Pharmacy of Columbia University, and participated in many professional pharmacy organizations in New York.
Bigelow was prominent socially, as a member of the Olde Settlers' Association of ye West Side in New York, a Member of the New England Society, and was on The Dewey Reception Committee of the City of New York alongside William Cullen Bryant, Daniel Chester French, William Randolph Hearst, Cornelius Vanderbilt, John LaFarge, and others. This was a largely symbolic role welcoming Admiral George Dewey to New York after the Spanish-American War and demonstrating the social importance of its members, which it called "A Notable Body of Representative Citizens." Bigelow was also a member of the Salmagundi Club, St. Andrew's Golf Club, and the Union League Club, among others.
A 1910 biography of Bigelow that appeared in "The Druggists Circular" reports, “It has been said of C.O. Bigelow that he has the largest one-man, one-store drug business in this city...While Mr. Bigelow is a hard worker, he has his large force of assistants so well organized that he finds time for rest and recreation.”
A. B. Frost was born in Philadelphia in 1851, but spent his most prolific years in New Jersey. Considered one of the great illustrators of the “Golden Age of American Illustration,” he illustrated more than ninety books and produced thousands of illustrations for “Harper’s Weekly,” “Scribner’s,” and “Life” magazines. Frost’s illustrative work chronicles the mood and details of the daily life of farmers, hunters, and fishermen, as well as barnyards and pastoral motifs.
By 1876, he was on Harper’s staff working on many books including “Tom Sawyer,” “Uncle Remus,” and “Mr. Dooley.” He also illustrated Theodore Roosevelt’s sporting book, "Hunting Trips of a Ranchman."
Frost was an ardent sportsman who spent his summers and autumns fishing, rowing, and hunting ducks and snipe. He completed hundreds of watercolors and oils of the New Jersey seaside and is best known for his hunting and shooting prints which capture the drama of sport in realistic, detailed settings. Frost and Bigelow were both Masons, and they spent significant time in New Jersey, as Bigelow’s summer home was located in Allenhurst and Frost lived at his estate, Moneysunk, in Convent Station.
This work, “Quail - A Covey Rise,” is the original watercolor reproduced by Charles Scribner’s Sons in Frost’s "Shooting Pictures," a portfolio of twelve chromolithograph prints. It is considered one of the artist's most iconic and recognized works.
Of the thousands of works that Frost is known to have produced, "Quail - A Covey Rise," with its excellent composition and superb condition, ranks right at the top. The work reveals Frost as one of the greatest illustrators of his generation. The hunter is perfectly positioned and the pointers are staunch as the covey flushes, a Frost masterwork in every sense.
Provenance: Estate of Clarence Otis Bigelow, 1938
Abercrombie & Fitch, New York City
Eben Beer Knowlton, acquired from above at auction
Private Collection, by descent in the family
Literature: Henry W. Lanier, “A.B. Frost: the American Sportsman’s Artist,” New York, NY, 1933.
"The Druggists Circular," Vol. LIV. Number 11, November 1910, p. 594.
A.B. Frost, "Shooting Pictures," New York, NY, 1895.
Henry M. Reed, "The A.B. Frost Book," Rutland, VT, 1967, p. 88, illustrated.
- Abraham Lincoln Pardon, Book and Author Autographs: President Abraham Lincoln signed pardon release order for Wilburn Bybee dated Oct. 7, 1864, partially printed on blue paper, approx. 8" x 10", adhered within the book "Abraham Lincoln, A History" by John G. Nicolay and John Hay (New York: The Century Company, 1890; measuring 9" x 6 1/2"), along with unrelated letters autographed by the book's authors. These letters, also adhered to the front leaves, include a handwritten note on Supreme Court of the United States letterhead addressed to Harry Hance of West Chester, PA and dated March 11, 1886, reading "My Dear Sir, I regret I am unable to send you an autograph of President Lincoln or to indicate where one could be obtained. Yours Truly, John G. Nicolay"; and a printed note, signed in ink, on Department of State letterhead dated April 6, 1901 and addressed to Fred M. Hopkins of New York, reading "Dear Sir: The address you speak of was published by John Lane in London. I think he also has a publishing office in New York. I am not able to say whether he has any copies of the address on hand. I regret I have none myself. Yours sincerely, John Hay. " A note fully adhered to the front fly leaf from the bookseller Harry E. Davis of Chicago explains that this book was the first of ten volumes of the original 1890 edition of the first book publication of "Abraham Lincoln: A History" by Nicolay and Hay; that the three signed inserts contain original signatures; and that the book was bound in full dark blue Morocco with emblematic tooling to the order of Randall E. Briscoe, Houston, Texas, 1952. John Nicolay (1831-1902) and John Hay (1838-1905) were Lincoln's private secretaries and biographers. After Lincoln's assassination, both continued in political careers. Nicolay went on to be Marshall of the U. S. Supreme Court and Hay later became the U. S. Secretary of State under William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. Wilburn Bybee of Barren County, Kentucky, was incarcerated for "Robbing the U. S. Mail. " His pardon case file is on record at the National Archives/Library of Congress and may be viewed online at https://lincolnpapers2. dataformat. com/images/1864/10/243400. pdf . Provenance: the estate of Capt. L. Bush Cole, Nashville, Tennessee (formerly of Texas). (Higher-resolution photos are available at www. caseantiques. com) Condition Center fold of pardon paper and left edges of Nicolay and Hay letters have been adhered with linen tape into the fly leafs of the book at its hinge and we have not attempted to remove them; signatures are in good, clear condition and unaffected by any adhesive or folds. The letters do show some light discoloration and small stains. Book exterior in overall good condition with a few scratches to the back cover and light edge toning. Silk end papers have some minor foxing and glue staining at edges. NOTE: ONLY Volume 1 is present.
- Frederick William MacMonnies (1863-1937): Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider: Bronze, 1905, signed 'Macmonnies' and dated lower right. 27 x 22 x 7 in. Note: Herb Glass, Bullville, NY recorded this as the only cast made of this subject. Herb Glass, Bullville, NY. The Estate of Richard P. Mellon, Ligonier, Pennsylvania Dimension Condition A few unobtrusive surface scuffs on the base. A crack on the underside of the base. Otherwise in very good condition. Not withstanding this report or any discussion concerning condition of a lot, all lots are offered and sold "as is" in accordance with our conditions of sale.
- BUXTON, Edward North, Two African Trips, Stanford, 1902. illus. & folding map. Pict. cl. Tog.with ROOSEVELT, Theodore, African Game Trails, An Account of The African Wanderings of An American Hunter-Naturalist. Murray, 1910. Frontis. port. pict. cl. Plus WARD, Rowland, Records of Big Game, London, 1910. 4to. 6th edn. fronits. dec. cl. Plus similar interest. 7
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