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The Most Widely Read Collector's Newspaper In The East Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 46, NO. 24 FRIDAY JUNE 12, 2015
Winterthur Will Display Rare Flags From The American Revolution On Flag Day, June 14 Lecture And Unique One-Day Exhibition Will Showcase Seldom-Seen Flags
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hirteen stars with six points on a field of faded blue silk tell the story of America’s fight for freedom as George Washington might have seen it. One of three extremely rare flags from the American Revolution, the Commander-in-Chief flag will be on display Sunday, June 14, at Winterthur with two additional standouts from the period: the 8th Virginia Regiment’s Grand Division (or Muhlenberg) flag and the Forster flag. This unique one-day exhibition marks the first time these three historic banners for liberty, which are
among only 35 from the Revolutionary War in existence, are being displayed together. “According to family tradition, the 13-star flag accompanied General Washington everywhere he went,” said Dr. Scott Stephenson, director of collections and interpretation at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, the owner of the Commander-in-Chief flag. “Donated by descendants of Washington’s sister, Betty Washington Lewis, this flag is one of the greatest treasures in our collection and was recently conserved through a grant
from the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution and its Color Guard.” Stephenson will give a talk titled “Banners of Liberty: Three Flags of the American Revolution” from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. in Copeland Lecture Hall. The talk will be followed by a special public viewing of the flags from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Rotunda. Winterthur staff members Linda Eaton, the John L. and Marjorie P. McGraw director of collections and senior curator of textiles, and Lisa Minardi, assistant curator, will join (Continued on page 4)
The Washington Commander-in-Chief flag, circa 1777-83, from the collection of the Museum of the American Revolution and conserved with funds provided by the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution and its Color Guard, will be showcased at Winterthur on Sunday, June 14.
Results From Swann’s Fine And Vernacular Photography Auction wann Auction Galleries in New York City held a sale on May 21, titled “Images & Objects: Fine and Vernacular Photographs.” The total gross was $1,415,867 (including buyer’s premium). “The growing appeal of photographs to a range of collectors in the fields of antiquarian books, vernacular imagery, contemporary art, and Americana contributed to the success of Swann’s spring photo sale. Edward S. Curtis’
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‘The North American Indian’ sold for $233,000; Frank A. Rinehart’s folio of 50 platinum prints from the ‘Trans-Mississippi International Exposition’ realized $71,500; and Ansel Adams’s ‘The Grand Tetons and the Snake River’ sold for $81,250,” said Daile Kaplan, Swann vice president and director of photographs and photobooks. The Ansel Adams “Moon and Half Dome” silver print from Yosemite National Park, 1960,
The top lot was the 20 volumes of “The North American Indian,” by Edward S. Curtis. The first volume was signed by Curtis and Theodore Roosevelt, 1907-30. The lot sold to a private collector for $233,000.
printed circa 1980, sold to the trade for $30,000. A group of 47 albumen prints and two panoramas from the album “Photographic Views and Costumes of Japan, 1863-69,” by Felice Beato, sold for $18,750 to a collector. Beato’s group of 34 early photos of Indian cities during the Sepoy Mutiny, various mediums, dating from 1857-58, sold to the trade for $15,000. To learn more, visit www.swanngalleries.com.
This Ansel Adams silver print, from 1942, titled “The Grand Tetons and the Snake River,” sold for $81,250 to a private collector.