presidents and first ladies

Sought-after Jefferson–Madison land grant from 1807

1. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison Document Signed. Partly-printed vellum DS, signed “Th: Jefferson” as president and “James Madison” as secretary of state, one page, 15 x 8.5, May 4, 1807. President Jefferson grants unto Daniel Cloud a parcel from “the Lands directed to be sold at Chilicothe.” The white paper seal affixed to the lower left remains intact. In very good condition, with overall foxing and soiling, and irregular ink adhesion to Jefferson’s signature. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from JSA. Starting Bid $500

Madison–Monroe signed passport for “the Ship Mohawk of Baltimore”

2. James Madison and James Monroe Document Signed. Partlyprinted vellum DS, signed “James Madison” as president and “Ja’s Monroe” as secretary of state, one page, 11.5 x 14.75, January 6, 1817. Scallop-topped ship’s pass issued to “the Ship Mohawk of Baltimore, David Gray master or commander…mounted with no guns, navigated with sixteen men. To pass with her Company, Passengers, Goods and Merchandize, without any hindrance, seizure or molestation.” Signed at the conclusion by President Madison and countersigned by Secretary of State Monroe. The seal in the lower left is present but detached. In very good to fine condition, with intersecting folds, light staining, soiling, and toning. Starting Bid $200

3. James Monroe Document Signed as President. Partly-printed vellum DS as president, one page, 13.5 x 9.5, December 1817. Desirable military land grant by which President Monroe, “in pursuance of the Acts of Congress appropriating and granting Land to the Army of the United States,” grants Smith Copeland, “late a private in the thirty first regiment of Infantry,” a 160-acre tract of land in the Territory of Illinois. Boldly signed at the conclusion by President James Monroe and countersigned by Commissioner of the General Land Office Josiah Meigs. The white paper seal affixed to the lower left remains intact. In fine condition, with light toning and soiling. Starting Bid $200

4. Andrew Jackson Document Signed as President. Partly-printed vellum DS as president, one page, 15 x 9.25, January 5, 1831. President Jackson grants an 80-acre plot of land in Mississippi, prominently signed at the conclusion by Jackson and countersigned by Commissioner of the General Land Office Elijah Hayward. The paper seal affixed to the lower left remains intact. Matted and framed with an engraved portrait (bearing a facsimile signature) to an overall size of 25.25 x 14. In very good to fine condition, with the handwritten portions of the body of the document quite faint, but Jackson’s signature only a couple of shades light. Starting Bid $200

Remarkable oil miniature by President Andrew Jackson’s prolific ‘court painter’

Image Above is Larger than the Painting Offered Here this rendering, however, is more finely detailed in the uniform and adds a cloak draped around the heroic general. It is an image that Earl returned to more than once during the 1830s, as it was quite favorably received. Displayed in an elegant and attractive 7.5 x 8 birdseye maple frame. In fine condition.

Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl (born late 1780s–1838) traveled to London in 1809, where he studied for a year with John Trumbull and was advised by Benjamin West to learn perspective, anatomy, and three-dimensional illusion. He then embarked on grand-scale historical paintings in the European mode. Returning to America, he planned a project depicting the Battle of New Orleans and met with the heroic victor, General Andrew Jackson, at The Hermitage, in January 1817. He went on to paint several portraits of the Jackson family, and married Mrs. Jackson’s niece, Jane Caffery, in 1819. He became a close friend of Andrew Jackson and his family, residing with them at the Hermitage after his wife’s death in childbirth. When Jackson was elected president, Earl accompanied him to the White House and prolifically produced Jacksonian portraits, becoming known as the ‘Court Painter’ and ‘the King’s painter.’ Earl’s paintings may be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Hermitage in Nashville, and the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. Starting Bid $1000