Neal Auction
Louisiana Purchase Auction™ November 21, 22, & 23
“Fire Insurance Patrol, 732 Camp Street,” by Alvyk “Boyd” Cruise Lot 617 • November 22, 2014
Lot 617 Saturday, November 22, 2014
Alvyk “Boyd” Cruise (Mississippi/New Orleans, 1909-1988), “Fire Insurance Patrol, 732 Camp Street,” watercolor on board, signed lower right, exihibition label, image 18 x 15 in., board 23 x 20 in, framed. Provenance: Acquired from the artist, thence by descent in Shreveport, LA family. Exhibited: Boyd Cruise, The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1976. [$15,000/$25,000] In “Fire Insurance Patrol, 732 Camp Street,” Boyd Cruise, captures a moment when a fire patrol protected the city from ruin. Until the late 19th century, the citizens of New Orleans relied upon volunteer fireman, often civic and business leaders in the city (Fig. 2), for the protection of the numerous historic properties and valuables. In its history, New Orleans endured two “Great” fires: one in 1788, which destroyed 856 structures and a second in1794, which destroyed 212 structures. As the population of New Orleans and the need for housing increased, properties became closer together and the risk of a fire engrossing a block or area of the city grew exponentially. To protect the historic integrity of the city, civic leaders and the representatives of insurance companies devised a system whereas fireman would be compensated for their services; thus, establishing the foundation for what would become the New Orleans Fire Department. A counterpart to the fire department, the fire insurance patrol would enter buildings after the firemen to protect goods and assets from water damage and thievery; they were especially concerned with protecting major industrial interests in the city. In this unique and exciting work offered as Lot 617 in Neal Auction Company’s forthcoming Louisiana Purchase Auction™, the artist Boyd Cruise perfectly captures the moment of action, as the patrolmen erupt from the building, mounted or on foot, to rush to the scene of a fire.
Fig. 2. An unidentified volunteer fireman photographed in his regalia.
Neal Auction Company • www.nealauction.com
Lot 617 Saturday, November 22, 2014 Although he was born in Mississippi and raised in Lake Charles, LA, Boyd Cruise spent most of his adult life in New Orleans. He moved to the city in 1928 upon receiving a scholarship to the Arts and Crafts Club of New Orleans, where he studied under famed New Orleans artists such as Weeks Hall and Knute Heldner. During his career, Cruise worked with architect Richard Koch on a WPA initiative to document examples of American architecture, beginning his lifelong interest in historic preservation and the French Quarter. The artist concentrated on endangered buildings (Fig. 3), spending hours researching original façades that had been altered or destroyed and eventually creating works such as “Fire Insurance Patrol, 732 Camp Street.” In the early-1950s, General L. Kemper and Leila Williams appointed Cruise cataloguer and curator of their art collection, which would eventually become the foundation for The Historic New Orleans Collection (Fig. 4), the premier museum, research center, and publisher on historic preservation and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South. Cruise served as the collection’s first director until 1974 and director emeritus until his death in 1988.
Fig. 3: Boyd Cruise (American/Louisiana, 1909-1988), “Coming Jack Lamp: Demolished Building,” watercolor, Provenance: Brotherton-Farlowe Collection.
References: Capo, Lissa. “Boyd Cruise.” KnowLA Encyclopedia of Louisiana Sep. 12, 2012. www.knowla.org. Accessed October 16, 2014. Christovich, Mary Louise. Boyd Cruise. New Orleans: The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1976, pp. 2-13. O’Connor, Thomas, ed., History of Fire Department of New Orleans: from the Earliest Days to the Present Time, New Orleans, 1895.
For inquiries contact Rachel Weathers weathers@nealauction.com Claire Thriffiley claire@nealauction.com
Fig. 4: The Historic New Orleans Collection’s main location on 410 Chartres Street.
Call: 800.467.5329
Neal Auction Company • www.nealauction.com
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617. Boyd Alvyk Cruise (Mississippi/New Orleans, 19091988), “Fire Insurance Patrol, 732 Camp Street”, 1951, watercolor on Strathmore board, signed lower right, loan label from The Historic New Orleans Collection’s 1976 exhibition “Boyd Cruise”, image 18 in. x 15 in., board 23 in. x 20 in., framed. $15000/25000 Provenance: Acquired from the artist, thence by descent in a Shreveport family. Exhibited: Boyd Cruise, The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1976 and listed in the accompanying catalogue on p. 70. Note: Boyd Cruise spent most of his adult life in New Orleans, although he was born in Mississippi and raised in Lake Charles, LA. He moved to the city in 1928 upon receiving a scholarship to the Arts and Crafts Club of New Orleans, where he studied under famed New Orleans artists such as Weeks Hall and Knute Heldner. He then completed his training at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and received several awards and scholarships. Upon his return to New Orleans, Cruise worked with architect Richard Koch on a WPA initiative to document examples of American architecture, beginning his lifelong interest in historic preservation in the French Quarter. The artist
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concentrated on endangered buildings, spending hours researching original facades that had been altered or destroyed, and eventually creating works such as “Fire Insurance Patrol, 732 Camp Street” offered here. An historical counterpart to the fire department, the fire insurance patrol would enter buildings after the firemen to protect goods and assets from water damage and thievery; they were especially concerned with protecting major industrial interests in the city. In this unique and exciting work offered here, Cruise perfectly captures the moment of action, as the patrolmen erupt from the building, mounted or on foot, to rush to the scene of a fire. The drama of this watercolor stands out among Cruise’s similar French Quarter preservation paintings, while his meticulous attention to detail preserved the scene for future generations. In the early 1950s, General L. Kemper and Leila Williams appointed Cruise cataloguer and curator of their art collection, which would eventually become the foundation for The Historic New Orleans Collection in 1966. Cruise served as first director until 1974 and director emeritus until his death in 1988. References: Capo, Lissa. “Boyd Cruise.” KnowLA Encyclopedia of Louisiana Sep. 12, 2012. www.knowla. org. Accessed October 16, 2014. Christovich, Mary Louise. Boyd Cruise. New Orleans: The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1976, pp. 2-13. O’Connor, Thomas, ed., History of the Fire Department of New Orleans: from the Earliest Days to the Present Time, New Orleans, 1895.
Neal Auction Company
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Auctioneers & Appraisers of Antiques & Fine Art 4038 Magazine Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70115 504-899-5329 • Fax: 504-617-6431 • www.nealauction.com
Confidential Absentee / Telephone Bid Form
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Please Review Guidelines For Absentee & Telephone Bidding: 1. Telephone bidding will be taken at the discretion of Neal Auction Company. Each item must have a low estimate of $500 or more. Absentee bids are gladly accepted for all items below $500. 2. All absentee bids and/or telephone bids must be in our gallery by 5 P.M. CST the Thursday prior to the auction. 3. In the event identical bids are submitted, the earliest bid received will take precedence. 4. A 25% deposit must accompany all bids. A credit card number is required for securing your bids. 5. Auction addendum available prior to the auction on the website or via facsimile. 6. All property is sold “AS IS”. No statement regarding condition of any item, whether it is made orally at the auction or any other time, or in writing in the catalogue or elsewhere, shall be deemed to be a warranty, representation or assumption of liability. 7. In the event of discrepancies, lot number and not lot description will take precedence.
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I understand that Neal Auction Company undertakes the execution of absentee bids as a convenience for clients and is not responsible for inadvertent fail ure to execute bids, or for any error in the execution of bids. I have read and agree to the “Conditions of Sale” as stated in the catalogue. I understand that a buyer’s premium will be charged on each lot purchased at 22% up to and including $200,000 plus 10% of the hammer price greater than $200,000. For purchase made by cash, check or wire transfer within 15 days of the auction, the buyer’s premium shall be discounted 2.5% of this 22%. No exceptions.
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CONDITIONS OF SALE Placing a bid at auction constitutes buyer’s acceptance of and agreement to these Conditions of Sale. 1. WAIVER OF WARRANTY: All lots are sold “AS IS”. No statement regarding condition, kind, value, or quality of a lot, whether made orally at the auction or at any other time, or in writing in this catalogue or elsewhere, shall be construed to be an express or implied warranty, representation, or assumption of liability. Any such warranty is WAIVED. Regarding works of art, Neal Auction Company does not make any express or implied warranty as to authorship. No statement in the catalogue or elsewhere, orally or in writing, shall be construed as an express or implied warranty, representation or limitation of liability as to authorship. Any such warranty is WAIVED. Buyer agrees and acknowledges that: (a) buyer is not relying on Neal Auction Company’s skill or judgment in selecting to purchase any lot; (b) no oral or written statements in the catalogue of Neal Auction Company or elsewhere regarding condition, attribution, kind, quality, value or authorship are the cause of or reason behind buyer’s purchase of any lot; (c) buyer would have incurred the purchase of any lot regardless of any oral or written statements about condition, attribution, kind, quality, value, or authorship made in the catalogue or elsewhere; (d) Neal Auction Company did not know and could not have known that condition, attribution, kind, quality, expressed value, or authorship is the cause or reason why buyer decides to purchase any lot; (e) buyer’s purchase of any lot is not intended to gratify a nonpecuniary interest; and (f) Neal Auction Company did not know, nor should it have known, that any oral or written statement about a lot in the catalogue or elsewhere would cause a nonpecuniary loss to buyer. Notwithstanding the foregoing WAIVER OF WARRANTY, agreements and acknowledgements, Neal Auction Company may in its sole discretion, but shall not be obligated to, consider any reasonable request for rescission of a sale on the basis of authenticity of authorship of a work of art under the following terms and conditions only, all of which must be met: A. Neal Auction Company shall not grant rescission regarding lots identified by Neal Auction Company by the terms “attributed to,” “school of,” “manner of,” “after,” or “signature of.” B. Neal Auction Company shall not grant rescission regarding any lot unless the buyer notifies Neal Auction Company in writing within a reasonable time from the date of the auction, and returns the lot to Neal Auction Company in the same condition that the lot was in at the time of sale. C. Neal Auction Company shall not grant rescission regarding any lot unless the buyer presents to Neal Auction Company a written document signed by a recognized art expert acceptable to Neal Auction Company that the lot in question is a forgery. D. Neal Auction Company shall not grant rescission to any person (including but not limited to the original buyer’s heirs, legatees, assigns, transferees, or subsequent purchasers) other than the original buyer, and any rights of the original buyer are not transferrable or assignable. E. Neal Auction Company shall not grant rescission when: (i) there is a conflict of expert opinion as to the authorship; (ii) expert opinion supported authorship at the time of sale, although expert opinion may have changed after the date of sale; and (iii) scientific processes that were unavailable, expensive or impractical at the time of sale have revealed since the time of sale that the author or period Neal Auction Company believed to be accurate at the time of sale was inaccurate. F. In any dispute between Neal Auction Company and buyer regarding authorship of a work of art, it is stipulated that rescission of the sale and refund of the price paid shall be the buyer’s sole recourse or remedy, if any is available, and Neal Auction Company shall not be responsible or obligated for any damages (including compensatory, general, incidental, exemplary or special damages), non-pecuniary losses, costs, expenses, injury, mental anguish, lost profits, attorney’s fees, or any other monetary or injunctive relief. 2. The auctioneer shall have absolute discretion in determining the successful bidder. At the fall of the auctioneer’s hammer, title to the offered lot will pass to the bidder acknowledged by the auctioneer. The bidder thereupon assumes full risk and responsibility and will pay full purchase price for the said lot.
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The auctioneer may decide that any original bid is not commensurate with the value of the article offered, or that any advance thereafter is not of sufficient amount, he may reject the same. The auctioneer reserves the right to withdraw any item at any time before the sale of the item. No merchandise will be released before the end of the auction. If the buyer fails to comply with any of the Conditions of Sale, Neal Auction Company reserves the right to hold such defaulting buyer liable for the purchase price; to cancel the sale, retaining as liquidated damages any payment made by the buyer; resell the property without reserve at public auction or privately on seven days’ notice to the buyer or, take such other actions available by law as deemed necessary or appropriate. If Neal Auction Company resells the property, the original defaulting buyer shall be liable for the payment of any deficiency in the purchase price and all costs and expenses, including warehousing, the expenses of both sales, reasonable attorneys’ fees, commissions, incidental damages and all other charges due hereunder.
ABSENTEE/TELEPHONE BIDS 1. 2. 3. 4.
All absentee bids and/or telephone bids must be in our gallery by 5 P.M. CST the Thursday prior to the auction. All arrangements for bidding should be made as early as possible. Telephone bidding will be taken at the discretion of the Neal Auction Company. Each item must have a minimum low estimate of $500. We assume no responsibility for failure to execute bids for any reason whatsoever. We reserve the right to require that advance bids be accompanied by a 25% deposit.
PAYMENT 1.
2. 3. 4. 5.
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The successful bidder agrees to pay a buyer’s premium in the amount of 22% of the hammer price on each lot up to and including $200,000, plus 10% of the hammer price greater than $200,000. For payments made by cash, check or wire transfer within 15 days of the auction, the buyer’s premium shall be discounted 2.5% of this 22%. Online bidding is available at a buyer’s premium in the amount of 25% of the hammer price. A cash discount is not available for purchases made online. Unless exempt by law, the purchaser will be required to pay Louisiana and local taxes, and, if applicable, any federal luxury or other tax, on the total purchase price. Documentation of tax exemption must be provided upon registration. Payment in full must be made by the successful bidder within ten days of the auction date. Interest charges will apply to invoices paid after this period expires. We reserve the right to require payment in full of the sales price at the moment of the successful bid. VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are accepted for invoices up to $25,000 per customer.
TERMS Any customer not accredited by Neal Auction Company must present a letter of reference from their bank or other suitable source acceptable to Neal Auction Company. Neal Auction Company requires that the merchandise be held on premises until the check clears or money can be wired into the Neal Auction Company account.
SHIPPING We will assist buyers in making shipping arrangements by furnishing information on packers and shippers. Handling of purchased lots by us is at the risk of the purchaser. Final shipping arrangements and agreements are strictly between the buyer and the shipper.
STORAGE We will be glad to store certain items purchased at auction until transportation is arranged. Unless other arrangements are made and confirmed in writing, all items must be removed within one week of the auction. On the first business day following that time period, merchandise remaining in the gallery will be turned over to a storage facility. The owner will be responsible for handling and storage costs. Handling costs will be a minimum of $50. Storage rates will carry a minimum charge of $15 per month. For a list of our storage charges by item category, please ask our customer service personnel at the front desk area. All items handled or stored will be at the purchaser’s risk. Storage charges are billed monthly and must be paid before merchandise is released. We are not liable for any damage to merchandise after the sale.