September 19, 2022Rick StattlerPrinted & Manuscript Americana Auctions 101: Provenance Research Read more about Auctions 101: Provenance Research Stattler explains the detective work that sometimes goes into researching an item’s history and provenance Auction houses keep one foot in the past, and one foot in the future. We are…
Read more about Printed & Manuscript Americana: September 29, 2022 Auction Highlights September 6, 2022 Printed & Manuscript Americana Printed & Manuscript Americana: September 29, 2022 Auction Highlights The highlight of our September Americana auction will be a large archive of family papers of Gideon Welles, who served as secretary of the Navy through the Civil War. Included…
Read more about Rick Stattler’s Specialist Picks: Two Unique Items from the April 7, 2022, Americana Auction April 1, 2022 Printed & Manuscript Americana Rick Stattler’s Specialist Picks: Two Unique Items from the April 7, 2022, Americana Auction The material that passes through Swann on a daily basis ranges in value and interest, sometimes we see an item crop up at auction consistently—a popular print, a highly sought…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Printed & Manuscript Americana April 7, 2022 March 3, 2022 Printed & Manuscript Americana Upcoming Highlights: Printed & Manuscript Americana April 7, 2022 This auction will have an emphasis on local highlights from different states and territories: an original Texas Ranger’s diary from the days of the Republic of Texas, blueprints from New…
Read more about 2021: Year in Review December 22, 2021 Swann 2021: Year in Review As we close out another successful year at Swann we look back at our record-filled sales.
Read more about Artists of the WPA & the Dawn of a New American Identity December 20, 2021 The Artists of the WPA Artists of the WPA & the Dawn of a New American Identity The New Deal not only established a great legacy, but a greater generation of artists whose works defined the American spirit.
Read more about Consign Now for June 2022: Focus on Women November 5, 2021 Books & Manuscripts Consign Now for June 2022: Focus on Women This past summer Swann held its first auction devoted to works by women. We are pleased to annouce another edition of this sale, to be held in June 2022, once again spearheaded by Devon Eastland, our Early Printed Books Specialist, but offering a wide assortment of material
Read more about The Book of Mormon Earns Record at $112k in Fall 2021 Americana Auction October 6, 2021 Printed & Manuscript Americana The Book of Mormon Earns Record at $112k in Fall 2021 Americana Auction American Revolution material brings strong results, alongside Latin Americana The fall 2021 offering of Printed & Manuscript Americana was held on Thursday, September 30 delivering remarkable results across the board.…
Read more about Women & the Civil War September 24, 2021 Printed & Manuscript Americana Women & the Civil War Men did the bulk of the fighting in the Civil War, but women were involved on every level—from managing family farms and businesses in the absence of their soldier husbands,…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Printed & Manuscript Americana—At Auction September 30, 2021 August 30, 2021 Printed & Manuscript Americana Upcoming Highlights: Printed & Manuscript Americana—At Auction September 30, 2021 Manuscript diaries, broadsides, archives and more, ranging from the Revolutionary era, frontier expeditions, colonial Latin America, and more.
Read more about First Sale Dedicated to the Accomplishments of Women at Swann Exceeds High Estimate July 20, 2021 19th & 20th Century Literature First Sale Dedicated to the Accomplishments of Women at Swann Exceeds High Estimate Early Printed Book, Archives, Vernacular and Fine Art Photography, Among other Material, Draws Interest Among Collectors The house’s inaugural Focus on Women sale on Thursday, July 15, 2021 brought $333,893…
Read more about Devon Eastland on Caroline Schimmel & the Challenges of Creating Diverse Collections Driven by Women July 9, 2021 Books & Manuscripts Devon Eastland on Caroline Schimmel & the Challenges of Creating Diverse Collections Driven by Women Ahead of Swann’s first auction dedicated to the accomplishments of women on July 15, senior specialist and curator of the sale, Devon Eastland, sat down with author, historian and collector…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Focus on Women — At Auction July 15, 2021 June 28, 2021 Printed & Manuscript Americana Upcoming Highlights: Focus on Women — At Auction July 15, 2021 What You Need to Know on Auction Day This auction will be held live and conducted remotely. There will not be bidding in the room, though we accept order bids,…
Read more about Selections From a Noteworthy Collection of American Historical Prints April 6, 2021 Printed & Manuscript Americana Selections From a Noteworthy Collection of American Historical Prints Our April 15, 2021 auction of Printed & Manuscript Americana opens with a noteworthy collection of historical prints which spins a narrative of America stretching from the arrival of Columbus to the…
Read more about Play Ball!: The Unlikely Tradition of Baseball Ephemera at Swann April 1, 2021 Swann Play Ball!: The Unlikely Tradition of Baseball Ephemera at Swann With the arrival of baseball’s Opening Day, spring is truly here. Swann does not handle baseball memorabilia in the traditional sense, leaving the encapsulated gem-mint rookie cards and game-worn jerseys to…
Read more about Printed & Manuscript Americana: April 2021 Auction Highlights March 23, 2021 Printed & Manuscript Americana Printed & Manuscript Americana: April 2021 Auction Highlights A rich offering that features a noteworthy collection of American historical prints, as well as sections of Judaica, and ephemera relating to colonization, the Civil War and Revolutionary eras, early Mexican imprints and manuscript cookbooks, as well as items covering Peru, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and elsewhere.
Read more about Listen to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Speaking to the SCLC Board in 1968 March 19, 2021 Printed & Manuscript African Americana Listen to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Speaking to the SCLC Board in 1968 Any piece of oratory by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a part of the nation’s heritage, but the speech offered in our March 25, 2021 sale of Printed &…
Read more about Early Black-Owned Business Ephemera March 19, 2021 Printed & Manuscript African Americana Early Black-Owned Business Ephemera “Surely you are not going to shut the door in my face!” Since the establishment of the Printed & Manuscript African Americana sale in 1996, Swann has offered a selection…
Read more about Printed & Manuscript African Americana: March 2021 Auction Highlights March 1, 2021 Printed & Manuscript African Americana Printed & Manuscript African Americana: March 2021 Auction Highlights Featuring material relating to Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Phillis Wheatley, Katherine Dunham, Kool Lance, and more.
Read more about 2020: Year in Review December 23, 2020 Swann 2020: Year in Review In a year that was unlike any in our lifetimes, Swann’s specialists and staff proved to be as resilient and innovative as ever, bringing forward new and safe ways to…
Read more about Register for the Legendary Catskill Mountain House Brings $45k in our Fall 2020 Sale of Americana October 7, 2020 Printed & Manuscript Americana Register for the Legendary Catskill Mountain House Brings $45k in our Fall 2020 Sale of Americana Our Thursday, September 24, 2020 sale of Printed & Manuscript Americana brought an 82% sell-through rate by lot, totaling over $600k with at least 23 institutions purchasing a total of…
Read more about Historic Coastal Artist Colonies of Northeastern America September 15, 2020 American Art Historic Coastal Artist Colonies of Northeastern America Each summer, tourists, some of them artists, flocked to Northeastern coastal havens to cure urban fatigue, become closer with nature, and enjoy the slower pace for the season. We explore several prominent artist colonies via the artwork they inspired.
Read more about The First Feature Film Shot in Alaska: The Chechahcos September 15, 2020 Printed & Manuscript Americana The First Feature Film Shot in Alaska: The Chechahcos You may never have wondered about the birth of the Alaskan film industry. The first Hollywood film studio was launched in 1911, and from there the industry spread up and down the Pacific coast. Just 13 years later, The Chechahcos became the first feature film shot in Alaska. A melodrama set during the Klondike Gold Rush, no Alaskan or Wild West cliché was spared in its production. If you like glaciers, saloons, and damsels in distress, this is the film for you.
Read more about Printed & Manuscript Americana: At Auction September 24, 2020 August 25, 2020 Printed & Manuscript Americana Printed & Manuscript Americana: At Auction September 24, 2020 Covering a period of about five centuries and two continents, our auctions of Printed & Manuscript Americana are exceptionally varied in content and subjects covered, from colonialism and the Westward expansion of the United States, to Presidential material and first-hand accounts by ordinary persons of important historical moments.
Read more about As Seen in Books: A Glossary for Items Found in the Pages of Early Printed Books July 21, 2020 Books & Manuscripts As Seen in Books: A Glossary for Items Found in the Pages of Early Printed Books Any experienced cataloger, scholar, collector, or reader of early printing is accustomed to discovering an array of random objects within the pages of books. Even though some of these tidbits may have fallen out of ancient beards, today we celebrate and study them and put them into categories. Devon Eastland, senior specialist for early printed books, provides a handy glossary for these curious items found within various books.
Read more about Collector’s Guide: Declaration of Independence June 30, 2020 Printed & Manuscript Americana Collector’s Guide: Declaration of Independence Probably the most common question we get in the Americana department is “I found an original copy of the Declaration of Independence—is it worth anything?” The short answer: it’s worth somewhere…
Read more about Printed & Manuscript African Americana: Rescheduled for May 2020 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.
Read more about Old Diaries Tell the Stories of Overlooked Americans 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?
Read more about Before O. Henry: William Sydney Porter’s First Professional Commission March 2, 2020 Printed & Manuscript Americana Before O. Henry: William Sydney Porter’s First Professional Commission William Sydney Porter, best known to posterity as the author O. Henry, was raised in North Carolina and moved west to Texas as a young man in 1882. After a stint on a sheep ranch, he settled in Austin, TX, where he worked various odd jobs while exploring his interest in writing and drawing. Our winter-spring 2020 sale of Printed & Manuscript Americana on March 10 is set to offer O. Henry’s first professional commission. Here, Rick Stattler, the house’s Americana specialist, tells the story of the mining memoir that never came to be.
Read more about Printed & Manuscript Americana: Winter-Spring 2020 Highlights February 12, 2020 Printed & Manuscript Americana Printed & Manuscript Americana: Winter-Spring 2020 Highlights This sale covers American history from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries, with a diploma from the Princeton Class of 1783, whose commencement was attended by Washington and the Continental Congress; a variant printing of the Bay Psalm Book; a first edition of the earliest firsthand account of the Lewis and Clark expedition; and an unusual volume of original outsider and occult art from 1904.
Read more about The History of Books & Manuscripts at Swann Galleries October 7, 2019 Autographs 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.
Read more about Archives Revealing Information on Slavery & the Underground Railroad Lead Fall 2019 sale of Printed & Manuscript Americana October 3, 2019 Printed & Manuscript Americana Archives Revealing Information on Slavery & the Underground Railroad Lead Fall 2019 sale of Printed & Manuscript Americana The September 26 sale of Printed & Manuscript Americana was an overall success with material relating to slavery & the Underground Railroad leading the sale.
Read more about Documenting the Underground Railroad: The Story Behind the Shugart Family Papers September 13, 2019 Printed & Manuscript Americana Documenting the Underground Railroad: The Story Behind the Shugart Family Papers An extensive and detailed record of the Underground Railroad is set to come across the block in our upcoming sale of Printed & Manuscript Americana on September 26. Zachariah Taylor Shugart was a known agent of the Underground Railroad circa 1840-51.
Read more about Fall 2019: Printed & Manuscript Americana August 5, 2019 Printed & Manuscript Americana Fall 2019: Printed & Manuscript Americana This fall, our Printed & Manuscript Americana auction will be held on September 26, and include manuscript diaries and important archives, ephemera relating to Stanford football, Gloria Steinem, the Underground Railroad and Mexico City.
Read more about Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana April 19, 2019 Printed & Manuscript Americana Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana Mexican Imprints Bring Significant Interest in Swann Americana Sale Our Printed & Manuscript Americana sale on Thursday, April 16 was the house’s third straight sale is the category to finish over $1,000,000, bringing several significant records.…
Read more about Manuscript Diaries Tell Tales of a Growing America April 11, 2019 Printed & Manuscript Americana Manuscript Diaries Tell Tales of a Growing America A West Point graduate blazes a trail from San Antonio to El Paso. A guard in one of the country’s most notorious prisons notes the silence of the inmates. A…
Read more about Upcoming Highlights: Printed & Manuscript Americana March 1, 2019 Printed & Manuscript Americana Upcoming Highlights: Printed & Manuscript Americana At Auction April 16 Complete Catalogue This sale includes a dramatic Texan diary by William Farrar Smith, commanding an expedition to find the best trail from San Antonio to…
Read more about Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana October 2, 2018 Printed & Manuscript Americana Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana Americana Continues to Out-Perform at Swann Galleries Our September 27 auction of Printed & Manuscript Americana was the highest-earning Americana auction in the last six years and brought $1.2M.…
Read more about The Harold Holzer Collection of Lincolniana September 13, 2018 Printed & Manuscript Americana The Harold Holzer Collection of Lincolniana The collection of noted Abraham Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer explores America’s fascination with depictions of the 16th president. Highlighting the breadth of representations of Lincoln, The Harold Holzer Collection of…
Read more about A Look Inside the Catalogue: Printed & Manuscript Americana July 23, 2018 Printed & Manuscript Americana A Look Inside the Catalogue: Printed & Manuscript Americana Featuring The Holzer Collection of Lincolniana At Auction September 27 Complete Catalogue Latin Americana Latin Americana will feature Juan de la Anunciación’s 1577 Sermonario en lengua mexicana and other…
Read more about A Look Inside the Catalogue: The Collection of William Wheeler III April 20, 2018 Autographs A Look Inside the Catalogue: The Collection of William Wheeler III Revolutionary & Presidential Americana from the Collection of William Wheeler III At Auction June 21 Complete Catalogue William A. Wheeler III’s interest in history began in childhood, browsing at…
Read more about Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana April 16, 2018 Printed & Manuscript Americana Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana Our auction of Printed & Manuscript Americana on April 12 was the department’s highest-grossing sale in four years, continuing an upward trajectory as each offering of Americana and African Americana…
Read more about Dream vs. Reality in the Civil War April 6, 2018 Printed & Manuscript Americana Dream vs. Reality in the Civil War Personal correspondence and manuscript material are always a highlight in our auctions of Printed & Manuscript Americana. On April 12, we’ll be offering a selection letters from Thomas Belknap, a clerk…
Read more about A Look Inside the Catalogue: Printed & Manuscript Americana January 30, 2018 Printed & Manuscript Americana A Look Inside the Catalogue: Printed & Manuscript Americana Our April 12 auction of Printed & Manuscript Americana illustrates the multifaceted tapestry of American history, featuring a cypress twig cut by General Lafayette at George Washington’s tomb, attractively framed in…
Read more about Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana October 7, 2017 Printed & Manuscript Americana Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana Hoards of history-lovers came out to attend the preview for our auction of Printed & Manuscript Americana on September 28. The sale featured a trove of unique material, much of which…
Read more about Diary of a Syrian-American Woman, 1908 September 26, 2017 Printed & Manuscript Americana Diary of a Syrian-American Woman, 1908 On a trip to her homeland, a young Syrian-American woman named Mary Arbeely kept a diary recording her attempts to connect with her ancestors while feeling deeply homesick. The diary,…
Read more about A Nineteenth-Century Honolulu Gossip Rag September 25, 2017 Printed & Manuscript Americana A Nineteenth-Century Honolulu Gossip Rag The book arrived in Honolulu by ship from San Francisco on New Year’s Day, 1863, and soon caused a stir throughout the city. It begins by revealing the author’s intent…
Read more about Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana April 27, 2017 Printed & Manuscript Americana Records & Results: Printed & Manuscript Americana On Thursday, April 27, our tenth consecutive auction of Printed & Manuscript Americana exceeded $700,000. Much of the top material was unique or extremely rare, including diaries, letters and archives, many…
Read more about The Cherokee Messenger April 24, 2017 Printed & Manuscript Americana The Cherokee Messenger The complete set of The Cherokee Messenger, Oklahoma’s earliest periodical, will be coming to auction in our Printed & Manuscript Americana sale on April 27. Only one other complete set…
Read more about Civil War Correspondence Between Sweethearts: “Scattered, Knew Not Where To Go” November 15, 2016 Printed & Manuscript Americana Civil War Correspondence Between Sweethearts: “Scattered, Knew Not Where To Go” Coming to auction November 17, 2016: Printed & Manuscript Americana Charles L. Taylor married his sweetheart Harriet Tuttle in August, 1862 and days later went to join the 16th Connecticut…