Printed & Manuscript African Americana (15 posts)

Swann Ushers in a New Era of Live Online Sales with Printed & Manuscript African Americana

Our Thursday, May 7, 2020 sale of Printed & Manuscript African Americana was held live online and was conducted remotely. “This was a strong auction regardless of the circumstances. The…

April 16, 2020 Printed & Manuscript African Americana

Printed & Manuscript African Americana: Rescheduled for May 2020

Among the highlights will be an 1836 autograph book with inscriptions by noted early African-American orators Moses Roper and Peter Williams. The large section on slavery and abolition will include several runaway broadsides and a miniature printing of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (the only one produced in pamphlet form) intended for soldiers to distribute among the freedmen in the south. Military papers include material written by African-American soldiers, including a Civil War letter and a Spanish-American War diary.

March 26, 2020 African-American Art

Romare Bearden’s Letters to Art Historian Harry B. Henderson, Jr.

Here we take look at letters, postcards and greeting cards from Romare Bearden to his longtime friend and collaborator Harry Henderson, as well as touch on the 2005 sale of Henderson’s art collection that made the establishment of our African-American Fine Art Department possible.

March 23, 2020 Books & Manuscripts

Old Diaries Tell the Stories of Overlooked Americans

The value of diaries on the market is largely driven by historical content and the quality of the writing. What could your diary be worth?

March 20, 2020 Printed & Manuscript African Americana

Listen to Tapes of a 1961 Interview with Leaders of the Atlanta Student Movement

On June 8, 1961, a journalist for The Protestant Hour, a long-running and widely syndicated weekly radio program out of Atlanta, sat down with four leaders of the Atlanta Student Movement to discuss their work in nonviolent direct action. Two reel-to-reel tapes were created as a result of the interview.

October 7, 2019 Auctions 101

The History of Books & Manuscripts at Swann Galleries

Bibliophiles of every denomination—Americana, autographs, art books, archives, atlases, ephemera, literature, maps—can find their niche at Swann Galleries. Originally founded in New York as a book auction house, we hold regular specialized sales devoted to books, printed material and manuscripts.

April 2, 2019 Printed & Manuscript African Americana

Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript African Americana

A Record for The Negro Travelers’ Green Book Among Printed & Manuscript African Americana at Swann Our Printed & Manuscript African Americana on Thursday, March 28 saw a sell-through rate of 90%, a record for the category. Enthusiastic bidding was seen across all…