May 1, 2024 10:00 EST
Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
280
President Lincoln discharges two Confederate prisoners
LINCOLN, ABRAHAM
Autograph endorsement signed. [Washington:] 10 February 1865. Five lines in ink in Lincoln's hand reading "Let these two men/take the oath/of Dec. 8. 1863 & be/discharged/A. Lincon/Feb. 10. 1865." The endorsement penned on the verso of a letter dated February 8th, 1865, a petition by John Dougherty seeking the release of two prisoners "conscripted into the Rebel service." 8 x 5 inches (19 x 13 cm). A blank area of the second leaf below the endorsement replaced with similar lined paper. Provenance: American Art Galleries, 10 November 1932, lot 67, accompanied by a letter.
President Lincoln's endorsement and signature on a discharge document dated about two months before his assassination. The endorsement is written on the verso of a petition on behalf of two conscripted Confederate soldiers, as was Lincoln's practice. The letter is written from a man who visited Washington in an attempt to meet with President Lincoln personally but was unable to do so. While the text of the petition is difficult to make out in its entirety, the prisoners, William A. Busby (who was imprisoned at Camp Morton) and C. Dozier (who was at Rock Island), apparently were captured after escaping the front lines, and the writer of the letter suggests they take the required oath as mentioned by Lincoln in his note.
Sold for $7,040
Estimated at $7,000 - $10,000
Includes Buyer's Premium
LINCOLN, ABRAHAM
Autograph endorsement signed. [Washington:] 10 February 1865. Five lines in ink in Lincoln's hand reading "Let these two men/take the oath/of Dec. 8. 1863 & be/discharged/A. Lincon/Feb. 10. 1865." The endorsement penned on the verso of a letter dated February 8th, 1865, a petition by John Dougherty seeking the release of two prisoners "conscripted into the Rebel service." 8 x 5 inches (19 x 13 cm). A blank area of the second leaf below the endorsement replaced with similar lined paper. Provenance: American Art Galleries, 10 November 1932, lot 67, accompanied by a letter.
President Lincoln's endorsement and signature on a discharge document dated about two months before his assassination. The endorsement is written on the verso of a petition on behalf of two conscripted Confederate soldiers, as was Lincoln's practice. The letter is written from a man who visited Washington in an attempt to meet with President Lincoln personally but was unable to do so. While the text of the petition is difficult to make out in its entirety, the prisoners, William A. Busby (who was imprisoned at Camp Morton) and C. Dozier (who was at Rock Island), apparently were captured after escaping the front lines, and the writer of the letter suggests they take the required oath as mentioned by Lincoln in his note.
Auction: Rare Books, Autographs & Maps, May 1, 2024
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Auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on May 1, 2024 Totals $1.2 Million
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A Medieval Manuscript Rules of St. Augustine Achieves $102k
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Consignments Are Currently Being Accepted for Future Auctions
NEW YORK, NY -- Competitive bidding at Doyle’s May 1, 2024 auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps drove strong prices and a sale total that topped $1.2 million, surpassing expectations.
Featured in the sale was a fascinating selection of early manuscripts that achieved exceptional results. Highlighting the group was a 14th century manuscript of the Rules of St. Augustine from an English priory that soared over its $8,000-12,000 estimate to realize a stunning $102,100. The Rule of St. Augustine is among the earliest of all monastic rules, created about 400, and it was an influence on all that succeeded it. Other notable results included a 14th century Etymologiae of St. Isidore estimated at $5,000-8,000 that achieved $51,200 and a 15th century Prayer Book of Jehan Bernachier estimated at $10,000-15,000 that sold for $28,800.
A first edition of John James Audubon's octavo Birds of America sold for $41,600, far over its $25,000-35,000 estimate. Published in 1840-1844 in seven volumes, the first octavo edition was the final Birds of America publication overseen by Audubon in his lifetime.
The Fred Rotondaro Collection offered rare books and manuscripts on a range of subjects touching the African American experience in the United States over three centuries. A first edition copy of Frederick Douglass’ 1876 speech at the unveiling of the Freedman's Monument in Washington realized $12,800, far exceeding its $3,000-5,000 estimate. A first edition of the first issue of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin from 1852 also achieved $12,800.
Highlighting the range of offerings from the Ken Harte Collection of Natural History was a first edition Richard Bowdler Sharpe’s beautifully illustrated monograph of Kingfishers, 1868-71, that sold for $14,080, doubling its $6,000-8,000 estimate. It was accompanied by an inscribed copy of the rare unfinished chapter on the anatomy of the kingfisher by James Murie.
We Invite You to Auction!
Consignments are currently being accepted for future auctions. We invite you to contact us for a complimentary auction evaluation. Our Specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.
For information, please contact Peter Costanzo at 212-427-4141 ext 248, Edward Ripley-Duggan at ext 234, or Noah Goldrach at ext 226, or email Books@Doyle.com
