COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Morphy Auctions Sells Gun That Fired First Shot At Bunker Hill For $492,000 Revolutionary War Musket Belonged To Private John Simpson (1748-1825) Of Deerfield, N.H. FRIDAY NOVEMBER 15, 2019 • VOL. 50, NO. 46
“Edith Halpert And The Rise Of American Art” First Exhibition Explores the Remarkable Career of Influential American Art Dealer The Jewish Museum in New York City will present “Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art,” the first exhibition to explore the remarkable career of Edith Gregor Halpert (1900-70), the influential American art dealer and founder of the Downtown Gallery in New York City. A Here is Edith Halpert at the Downtown Gallery, wearing the 13 watch pioneer in the field brooch and ring designed for her by Charles Sheeler, in a photograph and the first signif- for Life magazine in 1952. She is joined by some of the new icant female gal- American artists she was promoting that year. lerist in the United Image courtesy of estate of Louis Faurer. States, Halpert p r o p e l l e d American art to the forefront at a time when the European avantgarde still enthralled the world. The artists she supported, Stuart Davis, Jacob Lawrence, Georgia O’Keeffe, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Ben Shahn, and Charles Sheeler key among them, became icons of American An exhibition at the Downtown Gallery. modernism. Halpert also brought vital attention business acumen, Halpert inspired to overlooked 19th-century generations of Americans to value American artists, such as William the art of their own country, in their Michael Harnett, Edward Hicks, and own time. The exhibition runs through Raphaelle Peale, as well as littleknown and anonymous folk artists. Feb. 9, 2020, and features 100 works With her revolutionary program at of American modern and folk art, the Downtown Gallery, her endless including paintings, sculptures, and energy, and her extraordinary prints by artists such as Davis, Lawrence, O’Keeffe, Kuniyoshi, Shahn, and Sheeler, as well as Arthur Dove, Elie Nadelman, Max Weber, and Marguerite and William Zorach, among others, and prime examples of American folk art portraits, weathervanes, and trade signs. Along with major artworks that were exhibited at and sold through the Downtown Gallery, highlights from Halpert’s acclaimed personal collection of both modern and folk art, reassembled for the first time since its landmark sale in 1973, will also be on view. Born to a Jewish family in Odessa, Russia (now Ukraine), Halpert opened the Downtown Charles Sheeler (1883-1965) was a famous Gallery in 1926, at the age of 26, at artist promoted by Halpert. Here is his “Ore 113 W. 13th St., the first commercial Into Iron” from 1953. Continued on page 2
This historically significant, fully documented Dutch .79 smoothbore Type III flintlock musket and bayonet of Private John Simpson, who fired the first shot at the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775, was accompanied by Simpson’s New Hampshire commission to second lieutenant, plus several copies of a 50-page book scrupulously detailing the history of the musket, Simpson family, Battle of Bunker Hill, and Simpson’s court martial. The musket had an unbroken line of family provenance since 1775 and sold on Oct. 23 for $492,000 against a pre-sale estimate of $100,000-$300,000. Morphy Auctions has sold the Dutch flintlock musket that fired the first shot at the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill for $492,000. Arguably the most significant, positively identified Revolutionary War long arm in existence, the
price includes buyer’s premium, and the sale took place on Oct. 23. As history recounts, Simpson fired an unauthorized first shot as the Redcoats advanced on Breed’s Hill (erroneously reported as Bunker Hill) against the order
.79-caliber gun was originally the property of Private John Simpson (1748-1825) of Deerfield, N.H., and had remained in his family by direct descent for the past 244 years. The
of Col. William Prescott, who instructed colonial troops, “Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes!” “The Simpson gun symbolizes
AAN Current News
Salt City Holiday Antiques Show In Syracuse, N.Y., Slated For Nov. 23 And 24 on page 4
Continued on page 6
Haddon Heights To Usher In Holiday Season As autumn wanes and the holiday season beckons, the Haddon Heights Antiques Center is presenting a special sales display with lots of fall colors and helpful ideas for setting a unique Thanksgiving table. The holidays, especially Thanksgiving, are a great opportunity to decorate with antiques. For many, a large Thanksgiving feast is traditional. And it’s nice to serve the mouthwatering main course dishes and desserts on traditional, vintage china. It’s also nice to decorate the center of the table or perhaps the sideboard with unique vintage finds such as autumn-hued glass, a turkey planter that can hold real or silk flowers, and perhaps some pilgrim salt and pepper shakers.
Wonderful items await in the special display and all around the two-story, multi-dealer shop. November is a great time to start shopping for Christmas and to start finding vintage holiday decorations. Remember, Small Business Saturday falls on Saturday, Nov. 30. It is the 10th anniversary of this worthy endeavor, so come out and support small businesses like the Haddon Heights Antiques Center. The shop is conveniently located off major Camden County highways, I-295 and the White Horse Pike, at 531 Clements Bridge Road, Barrington, N.J. It’s open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours on Fridays. For directions or further information, call 856-546-0555.
American Bottle Auctions Will Offer The Ken Fee Collection Of Bitters Bottles on page 14
Palmer Museum Presents Exhibition On Unconventional French Printmaker Fe´lix Buhot on page 16
Three Days Of Sales For Pook & Pook on page 18
In This Issue SHOPS, SHOWS & MARKETS . . . . . . . . . . starting on page 3 SHOPS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . on page 5 EVENT & AUCTION CALENDAR . on page 7 AUCTION SALE BILLS . . . starting on page 7
FEATURED AUCTION: Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates - November 15 and 16 in Mt. Crawford, Virginia - Page 9
AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . . . on page 8 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . on page 19