MUSICAL STARS: Fred Astaire (1899-1987) American dancer and actor, Academy Award winner. Signed 8 x 10 photograph of Astaire in a full-length dance pose. Signed in red ink with his name alone to a clear area of the background; Gene Kelly (1912-1996) American dancer and actor, Academy Award winner. Vintage signed 8 x 10 photograph of Kelly leaping in a full-length dance pose. Typed text to the verso (which shows through very slightly at the base of the image) indicates that the image shows Kelly as he 'warms up for the difficult routines he does in MGM's Technicolour musical Summer Stock'. Signed by Kelly in blue fountain pen ink with his name alone to a clear area of the background. A few minor smudges to the signature. A wonderful pair of almost matching signed photographs by two of the greatest male musical stars in the history of film. Some very light surface and corner creasing and minor age wear, otherwise VG, 2
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PARSONS ESTELLE: (1927- ) American actress, Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actress in 1967 for her role as Blanche in Bonnie and Clyde. Signed 8 x 10 photograph, the original 1970 Columbia Pictures publicity portrait depicting Parsons in a head and shoulders pose in costume as Althea Gerber from the comedy film Watermelon Man. Signed by the actress in bold black ink with her name alone to a clear area of the image. A couple of very light, extremely minor surface and corner creases, VG
WRIGHT FRANK LLOYD: (1867-1959) American architect and designer. Vintage signed 7 x 10 photograph of Wright standing in a three-quarter length pose sharpening a pencil, being one of the two celebrated images of the architect caught by photographer Pedro E. Guerrero in 1947. Signed by Wright with his name alone in fountain pen ink to the lower white border. Rare in this form. Some very light, minor age wear and a few stains and with some very slight traces of former mounting to the verso, about VG Pedro E. Guerrero (1917-2012) American architectural photographer, remembered for his extraordinary access to Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as his work in documenting the lives and art of Alexander Calder and Louise Nevelson. Guerrero was first hired by Wright in 1939 to record the ongoing construction of Taliesin West and the two continued to work together until a few days before the architect's death in 1959.
![Punishment for a procurer [FRENCH ALGERIA]: An interesting autograph letter, in the hand of a secretary, dictated by and issu](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/490e7209-4b7e-4aa3-9ba4-afab011e768f/98eed8a1-d885-49dd-954f-afac00d9dff0/468x382.jpg)
Punishment for a procurer [FRENCH ALGERIA]: An interesting autograph letter, in the hand of a secretary, dictated by and issued in the name of Sid Caddour ben Mohamed, Sheikh Imam Cadi Maleki of Algiers, and bearing his red stamped seal at the head, two pages, oblong 4to, Algiers, 14th of the month of Rabia El Tani (6th July 1838), to the Attorney General of the King of France, in Arabic. The Sheikh Imam's Arabic text comprises six lines to the upper half of the first page and is followed by a contemporary French translation, signed and certified at Algiers, 7th July 1838, and states, in part, 'A monsieur le Procureur general du Roi. Apres les saluts qui vous sont dus, que Dieu augmente votre bien-etre et vos bienfaits!!! Qu'il Lui plaise de ce que nous vous faisons savoir soit pour le bien. Un juif amene avec lui des femmes musulmanes a Bab-El-Oued, dans en cafe, ou il en fait faire la rencontre avec des juifs, ainsi que des femmes juives avec des musulmans. Voici la profession qu'il exerce. La chef de la nation israelite envoya son chaoun afin de conduire cet individu et le punir. Il frappa, et blessa gravement le chaoun. De ce fait il fut aussitot denonce a la police, et le commissaire expedia ses agents qui le conduisirent a lui. Etant a la police, il dit qu'il etait musulman, et a le dire il fut par les memes conduit devant nous. Apres avoir consulte la loi en ce qui renie la religion recevra pour le moins cent coups de baton, et ce fait, nous l'avons fait mettre en prison pour de la etre banni de la ville par rapport au scandale qu'il a constamment donne, et au voeu de la loi que nous vous faisons connaitre' (Translation: 'To the King's Attorney General. After the greetings due to you, may God increase your well-being and your benefits!!! May it please Him that what we let you know is for the good. A Jew brings Muslim women with him to Bab-El-Oued, in a café, where he makes them meet Jews, as well as Jewish women with Muslims. This is his profession. The leader of the Israelite nation sent their chaoun to find this individual and punish him. He struck and seriously injured the chaoun. As a result, he was immediately reported to the police, and the commissioner dispatched his agents who took him to him. Whilst with the police, he said he was a Muslim, and having said so he was led in front of us by the same people. After consulting the law, for denying religion he will receive at least a hundred strokes, and for this fact, we have put him in prison to be banished from the city in relation to the scandal which he has constantly given, and to the will of the law which we make known to you'). A letter of fascinating content on several levels, offering an insight into life in Algiers shortly after the French colonisation of the North African country. A couple of very light, minor stains, only very slightly affecting a few words of text, otherwise VGThe present letter provides a valuable understanding of how justice was conducted in French Algeria in the first decade of colonisation. The somewhat salacious case that is reported to the King's prosecutor is that of the actions of a Jewish procurer working from a café in Bab-El-Oued, however it is unclear whether it his activity as a pimp that is in question, or the fact that he brings men and women of different religions 'to meet'. The letter illustrates how each community was governed by its own authorities; initially arrested by the Israeli police the man falsely declares himself to be a Muslim in order to escape the Jewish jurisdiction. Then taken before the Muslim authorities, he is condemned to 'receive at least a hundred strokes' and be expelled from the city. Interestingly, it appears not to be for his profession that he is to be condemned, but rather the fact that, under the relevant Muslim law, he has denied his religion. Ultimately, therefore, apostasy is considered to be his greater crime.
WUNDT WILHELM: (1832-1920) German physiologist and philosopher, known today as one of the fathers of modern psychology. Wundt distinguished psychology as a science separate from philosophy and biology and was the first person ever to call himself a psychologist. A.L.S., Prof. Dr. W. Wundt, one page, 8vo, Leipzig, 29th December 1878, to an unidentified individual, in German. Wundt writes, in full, 'By request of Prof. Avenarius in Zurich I read the treatise of G. H. Schneider “on the development of will in the animal world” and found it appropriate for the “Quarterly Journal of Scientific Philosophy”. Therefore the same can be printed without further consideration, and it won't be necessary to additionally send it to Zurich'. A light, minor ink smudge at the conclusion of the signature, and some very light, minor age wear, VG
GALL FRANZ JOSEPH: (1758-1828) German Neuroanatomist & Physiologist, a pioneer in the study of the localisation of mental functions in the brain. Gall is widely considered as the founder of phrenology. An oblong 12mo partially printed admittance ticket, in French, to a lecture by Gall on the physiology of the brain, numbered 27 and bearing a small red wax seal and with Gall's intertwined initials printed at the centre, signed ('Gall') in bold black ink at the base. Extremely rare. Some light overall age wear and a few minor stains, not affecting the signature, G
HUXLEY ALDOUS: (1894-1963) English writer. A.L.S., Aldous Huxley, one page, 4to (folding air mail stationery), Cambridge, Massachusetts, 28th September 1960, to Joseph Foret, in French. Huxley thanks his correspondent for their letter and continues to inform them 'Six ou sept pages sont peu de choses - mais pour les ecrire il me faudrait relire L'Apocalypse et longuement le mediter. Mon propre travail et une serie de conferences au Massachusetts Institute of Technology ne me permettront pas d'entreprendre cette tache' (Translation: 'Six or seven pages are a small thing - but to write them I would have to reread The Apocalypse and meditate on it for a long time. My own work and a series of lectures at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will not allow me to undertake this task'). Hand addressed by Huxley to the verso. A few very light, extremely minor creases, VG
SINATRA & WILDING: SINATRA FRANK (1915-1998) American singer and actor, Academy Award winner & WILDING MICHAEL (1912-1979) English actor who appeared in two films directed by Alfred Hitchcock and was married to Elizabeth Taylor from 1952-57. Vintage blue ink signatures by both Frank Sinatra and Michael Wilding individually, each with their names alone, to the verso of an unrelated 2 x 3 snapshot photograph of a gentleman accompanied by his two young children and a dog. Some light scuffing and age wear and a small tear to one edge, close to but not affecting Sinatra's signature. G
VICQ-D'AZYR FELIX: (1748-1794) French physician and anatomist, the originator of comparative anatomy and discoverer of the theory of homology in biology. L.S., Vicq d'Azyr, one page, 8vo, n.p., 31st July 1788, to [Louis-Bernard Guyton] de Morveau ('Monsieur & tres illustre confrere'), in French. Vicq-d'Azyr states that he has learned from De Fourcroy that De Morveau had not received 'le cahier contenant l'éloge de Scheele' (Translation: 'the notebook containing Scheele's eulogy') and therefore sends him a copy. In a postscript Vicq-d'Azyr further asks his correspondent to hand over a package to Madame Picardet. Some very light, extremely minor age wear, VGLouis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau (1737-1816) French chemist, politician and aeronaut.Antoine-Francois de Fourcroy (1755-1809) French chemist.Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742-1786) Swedish German pharmaceutical chemist.Claudine Picardet (1735-1820) French chemist and scientific translator who would marry Guyton de Morveau in 1798.
NOBEL ALFRED: (1833-1896) Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman and philanthropist who bequeathed his fortune to establish the Nobel Prize. The scientist's most famous invention was that of dynamite, which was patented in 1867. An outstanding archive relating to the establishment of a dynamite factory in Italy, comprising - (i) A.L.S., A Nobel, three pages, 4to, Paris, 6th September 1872, to [Paul] Barbe, in French. Nobel provides his detailed requirements for establishing a factory to produce dynamite at Avigliana, near Turin, under the guidance of his agent Casimir Robaudi ('Voici le petit devis pour la Fabrique Italienne et le projet de contrat avec Robaudi') setting out his requirements in a detailed table, with their immediate and defrayable costs, including specifications for brick buildings, power of the traction engines, nitrite grinders, and other machinery, a building to house nitric acid, an ice room, various other wooden buildings for the production and washing of glycerine and dynamite, and for packing the dynamite, cartridge making, water heaters, and enclosures, and remarking that he envisages the quick production and sale of the dynamite, financed by three months' credit. Nobel then proceeds to define the terms of the contract under which the business should operate, giving the outlines for a five-year contract with Robaudi in nine numbered paragraphs, explaining that Robaudi will be named as agent for the Italian business and will be responsible for the costs of selling the dynamite sent to him, for which he can set a price above market rates, provided that the company can cancel the contract if Robaudi's consumption and marketing contravenes their policies, or if the company does not receive payment for the dynamite. Nobel advises Barbe to revise the contract as he sees fit before sending it to Carstens, the merchant in Hamburg. (ii) A fine, large original pen and ink plan of the proposed site of the dynamite factory in the Commune di Avigliana, prepared and signed by the surveyor Giuseppe Ferando, one page, large oblong folio, Turin, 27th July 1872, entitled Planimetria di parte della regione Valoja presso il trucco di San Martino, coloured in two shades of blue (one defining the waterways) and also featuring light pencil drawings of buildings to the left margin. (iii) A pencil sketch of several buildings at Avigliana entitled Croquis de fabrique de nitroglycerine a Avigliana, one page, oblong 4to, n.p., n.d., including the facilities labelled for 'Preparation, separation et lavage a l'eau'. (iv) A finely executed and detailed pen and ink plan of various constructions and buildings, one page, oblong folio, n.p., n.d., captioned in French, including cartoucheries, magasin, filtrage & dynamiterie, lavages, pompe pour l'appareil, glacier & magasin a glycerine, hanger a bomb acide nitrique. Maison de garde, chien de garde etc. (v) A scale drawing from a patent application on transparency paper (some tears and a few large areas of paper loss to the edges) bearing the official oval stamp of Jannot ('Constructeur - Mecanicien') and two other pen and ink and pencil sketches and drawings of machinery and apparatus. (vi) An autograph manuscript entitled Regolamento dei transporti delle Materie infiammabili ed esplodenti ('Regulations for the transportation of flammable and explosive materials') approved by the administrators Bolmira and Guglianetti, twelve pages, 4to, n.p. (Italy), 9th April 1872, commencing 'Flammable materials, such as phosphorus, phosphor matches, gun powder, turpentine, alcohol, and derivatives, objects for fireworks and any other material…..that easily starts or transmits fire, are excluded from transport if the sender has not subjected himself to the cautionary measures established by the administration' and continuing to outline the regulations concerning packaging, supervision, means of transport and other precautions which it is necessary to adhere to. (vii) Small collection of ten manuscript technical and legal documents, in Italian and French, over twenty pages in total, largely 4to, various places, 1870s, some regarding Nobel's patent and one on the printed stationery of the Dinamite Nobel factory at Avigliana. (viii) Autograph manuscript of the Atto di Costituzione della Societa per la Fabbricazione della Dinamite and Statuto della Scoieta Anonima per la Fabbricazione della Dinamite, in all over sixty pages, folio, Turin, 5th June 1873, in Italian, identifying the main shareholders, and accompanied by an eleven-page summary including a manuscript list of the shares allocated to each shareholder. A comprehensive archive relating to the Swedish chemist's important invention of dynamite and featuring an extremely rare autograph letter signed by Nobel himself, particularly desirable owing to its content. Some light overall age wear and minor faults and Nobel's letter with some light, minor staining and a few small tears to the edges. Generally G to about VG, Sml Qty. At the end of December 1871, Alfred Nobel obtained a six-year patent for the exploitation of dynamite from the Italian government, to be financed by both French and German investors. In April 1872, Nobel reached an agreement with five Parisian financiers (and engineers) to found a public limited company. Among the shareholders mentioned in the present archive were Paul Barbe, Amedeo Hoffer (director of the factory), Casimir Robaudi (agent for the Nobel company in Hamburg), Antonio Campagna (formerly mayor of Avigliana), the Hamburg merchants Carl Ferdinand Carstens and Edouard Bandmann, and the Parisian banker Gunzbourg. They acquired land near Avigliana, some thirty kilometres west of Turin, and set up a factory through a commissionaire, Robaudi, obtaining a patent for the manufacture of dynamite. The company established by Nobel continued production until being destroyed during the World War II.
BUTTONS RED: (1919-2006) American comedian and actor, Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor in 1957 for his role as Airman Joe Kelly in Sayonara. An excellent vintage signed 8 x 10 photograph of Buttons in a head and shoulders pose, the original Warner Bros. publicity portrait having been issued for the actor's Oscar winning drama film Sayonara in which he co-starred alongside Marlon Brando and Miyoshi Umeki. Signed by Buttons in bold blue fountain pen ink to a light area of the background. About EX
LEHAR FRANZ: (1870-1948) Austro-Hungarian composer of operettas including The Merry Widow. A.L.S., F Lehar, to the verso of a picture postcard of Budapest's National Palace, Budapest, 4th November 1924, to Dr. Max Franckel in Vienna, in German. Lehar writes, in full, 'I am busy again. Clo-Clo premieres on Tuesday. Rehearsals are currently day and night'. Some very light, extremely minor age wear, VG
AHMAD II: (1862-1942) Bey of Tunis 1929-42. D.S., as Ahmad Bey, in Arabic, one page, folio, Royal Palace, Tunis, 19th January 1935, in Arabic. The attractive partially printed document features the coat of arms of Tunis at the head within a decorative archway and borders, and awards the President of the French-Tunis Friendship Club with the Order of Iftikhar, 4th Class. Some light overall creasing and minor age wear, G
MONTGOMERY B.L.: (1887-1976) British Field Marshal of World War II. An excellent vintage signed 6 x 9.5 photograph of Monty standing outdoors in a full-length pose wearing his beret and uniform. Photograph by Kennedy's of Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, and bearing their ink copyright credit to the lower right corner. Signed ('Montgomery of Alamein, F.M.') by the Field Marshal in blue fountain pen ink to a light area at the base of the image. About EXAs Chief of the Imperial General Staff Montgomery made a tour of Africa in 1947 during which time he visited Southern Rhodesia and inspected the Royal Rhodesia Regiment honour guard.
ARKIN ALAN: (1934- ) American actor, Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor in 2006 for his role as Edwin Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine. Signed 8 x 10 photograph of Arkin in a close-up head and shoulders pose wearing a hat upon his head in costume as Bert Kessler from the comedy film Hearts of the West (1975; released in Europe as Hollywood Cowboy). Signed by Arkin in black ink with his name alone to a light area of the background. VG
VORONTSOV SEMYON: (1744-1832) Russian diplomat who served as the Russian ambassador to the Kingdom of Great Britain 1785-1800 and to the United Kingdom 1801-06. Brother of Yekaterina Vorontsova-Dashkova, the closest female friend of Catherine the Great. A.L.S., Voronzov, one page, 4to, Harley Street (London), 9th February 1799, to Messrs. Thomson and Bonar, in French. The Count makes a request of his correspondents, 'Je vous prie de vouloir bien me faire l'amitie de m'envoyer par Monsieur Sievers qui vous remettra cette lettre, cent soixante livres sterling en billets de banque' (Translation: 'Please do me the kindness of sending me, through Mr. Sievers, who will give you this letter, one hundred and sixty pounds sterling in banknotes'). With integral address leaf (two small areas of paper loss resulting from the original breaking of the red wax seal, remnants of which are still attached) in Vorontsov's hand and signed by him in the lower left corner of the address panel. Some minor traces of former mounting to the verso and light overall staining, about VG
REMUSAT JEAN PIERRE ABEL: (1788-1832) French sinologist who, enamoured with the Chinese language, spent five years teaching himself to read it. A.L.S., J P. Abel-Remusat, one page, 8vo, n.p., n.d., to Monsieur Dacier, permanent secretary of the Academy, in French. Remusat writes, in full, 'Les lettres, Monsieur et respectable ami, m'ont ete remises par la commission presqu' entiere, MM de Sacy, Quatremere de Quincy et Raoul Rochette. Je ne les ai pas lues, tant j'avais bien de croire qu'elles devaient vous satisfaire. Demain matin, j'irai de bonne heure vous a demander votre avis' (Translation: 'The letters, Monsieur and respectable friend, were delivered to me by almost the entire commission, MM de Sacy, Quatremere de Quincy and Raoul Rochette. I have not read them, so much did I believe that they should satisfy you. Tomorrow morning, I will go early to ask your opinion'). With integral address leaf (small area of paper loss at the base caused by the original breaking of the small seal) in Remusat's hand. A few light stains and minor age wear, VG
TAYLOR ELIZABETH: (1932-2011) British actress, Academy Award winner. Vintage signed postcard photograph, an attractive head and shoulders study of the actress issued by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Signed by Taylor in blue fountain pen ink with her name alone to a light area of the image. One small, minor corner crease, otherwise VG
MCDOWELL MALCOLM: (1943- ) British actor. Signed 10 x 8 photograph of McDowell in a half-length pose in costume as public school boy Mick Travis, during a fencing match and with a foil pointed to his chest, in a scene from the satirical drama film If…. (1968). Signed by McDowell in bold black ink with his name alone to a clear area of the image. A couple of very light, extremely minor corner creases, VG
LENYA LOTTE: (1898-1981) Austrian actress, remembered for her role as the murderous and sadistic Rosa Klebb in the James Bond movie From Russia with Love (1963). Signed and inscribed 8 x 10 photograph of Lenya in a close-up head and shoulders pose. Signed in bold blue ink to a light area of the background and dated January 1976 in her hand. A couple of minor surface and corner creases, otherwise VG
FISHER CARRIE: (1956-2016) American actress. An excellent signed and inscribed 10 x 8 photograph by Fisher, the original 1977 publicity still depicting Fisher in a full-length profile pose, in costume as Princess Leia, opposite the robot R2-D2 (named as Artoo-Detoo in the printed caption to the lower white border), in a scene from the epic space opera film Star Wars (1977). Signed by Fisher in blue fountain pen ink to a light area of the image, adding her character name in her hand, 'For Tony, Best Wishes, Carrie Fisher (Princess L)'. A rare and desirable signed photograph. One very small, extremely minor corner crease, VG
MILLAND RAY: (1905-1986) Welsh actor, Academy Award winner for Best Actor in 1945 for his role as Don Birnam in The Lost Weekend. Vintage signed and inscribed 7 x 8.5 photograph of Milland standing in a full-length pose, in costume as Bob Mitchell, alongside Dorothy Lamour, in costume as Tura, in a scene from the American south seas adventure film Her Jungle Love (1938). Signed by Milland in bold fountain pen ink to the base of the image. Very slightly neatly trimmed to the edges and with some light surface and corner creasing, G
FRAZIER JOE: (1944-2011) American boxer, World Heavyweight Champion 1970-73 and the first boxer to defeat Muhammad Ali. Signed 8 x 10 photograph of Frazier seated in a full-length pose. The promotional image is signed by the boxer in black ink with his name alone to a light area of the background. Together with Marvis Frazier (1960- ) American heavyweight boxer, son of Joe Frazier. Signed 8 x 10 photograph of Frazier standing in a half-length pose. Signed by Frazier with his name alone to the image. VG, 2
FARMAN HENRI: (1874-1958) French pioneer aviator and aircraft designer. Vintage signed postcard photograph, the image depicting Farman piloting his Voisin 1907 biplane across land at Issy-les-Moulineaux during a historic flight on 26th October 1907. Signed ('H Farman') in purple fountain pen ink with his name alone to the base of the image. Addressed in an unidentified hand to the verso and postmarked 20th November 1907. Some very light, extremely minor age wear, VGOn 26th October 1907 at Issy-les-Moulineaux, Farman made several flights of 363, 403 and 771 metres in his Voisin aircraft, powered by a V8 Antoinette motor. The aviator also started to turn the plane in the air on this date and the distance of 771 metres was completed in 52 seconds. It was the longest flight in the world that year, and won Farman the Ernest Archdeacon Cup.
FINCH PETER: (1912-1977) English-born Australian actor, posthumous Academy Award winner for Best Actor in 1976 for his role as Howard Beale in Network. A good vintage signed and inscribed 8 x 10 photograph of Finch in a head and shoulders pose. Signed in bold blue fountain pen ink to a clear area of the background. Rare. A couple of very light, extremely minor corner creases, VG
SANDERS GEORGE: (1906-1972) English actor, Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor in 1950 for his role as Addison De Witt in All About Eve. An excellent vintage signed and inscribed 8 x 10 photograph of Sanders in a head and shoulders pose and holding a pipe in one raised hand. Signed in bold green fountain pen ink to a clear area of the image. Scarce. A very light vertical crease runs through the centre of the image although is barely noticeable. About VG
MONTAGU JOHN: (1718-1792) 4th Earl of Sandwich. British statesman who served as First Lord of the Admiralty 1748-51, 1763, 1771-82 during which time he was a great supporter of Captain James Cook, who named the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) after the Earl. Sandwich is also known for the claim that he was the eponymous inventor of the sandwich. D.S., Sandwich, one page (vellum), folio, Office of Admiralty, 13th March 1772. The partially printed document, completed in manuscript, is a naval commission appointing Alexander Maxton to be a First Lieutenant of HMS Carysfort and requiring him to strictly charge and command 'all the Officers & Company….subordinate to you to behave themselves jointly and severally in their respective employments with all due Respect and Obedience unto you their said Lieutenant…..nor you nor any of you may fail as you will answer the Contrary at your Peril'. Signed by the Earl of Sandwich at the foot and countersigned by three other Lord Commissioners of the Admiralty comprising John Buller (1721-1786) British politician, Henry Temple, 2nd Viscount Palmerston (1739-1802) British politician, and Wilmot Vaughan, 1st Earl of Lisburne (1728-1800) Welsh politician. With blind embossed paper seal affixed. Some light foxing and age wear and a tear to the left edge, not affecting the text or signatures. GHMS Carysfort was a sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars. In April 1772, the month after the present commission was issued, she sailed to Jamaica.
PREVERT JACQUES: (1900-1977) French poet and screenwriter. A large (11.5 x 9”; 29 x 22.5 cm) autograph envelope signed by the poet, addressed in his hand in dark fountain pen ink to Albert Mermoud in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Expres envelope bearing eight postage stamps post marked at Saint-Paul-de-Vence, 26th October 1951, with two red and black printed Expres labels affixed to the front, and further 'illustrated' by Prevert to the verso with the addition of a vintage Victorian/Edwardian scrap of a colourful finch resting on a branch. Signed ('Prevert') in the return address to the verso. With a large ink blot to the first half of the signature and some light overall creasing and a few minor tears, GAlbert Mermoud (1905-1997) Swiss entrepreneur, co-founder and then president of the Cinematheque Suisse and founder of the publishing house La Guilde du Livre.
JOHN PAUL II: (1920-2005) Pope of the Catholic Church 1978-2005, later canonised as Pope Saint John Paul II in 2014. A good signed colour 4 x 6 photograph of the Pope in a semi-profile half-length pose wearing his plain white cassock and zucchetto and with one hand raised as he makes a papal blessing. Signed in black ink with his name alone to a light area at the base of the image. Accompanied by a T.L.S. by Bishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, on one side of a correspondence card, Vatican, 25th May 2000, to a lady, in Polish, forwarding the photograph 'signed personally by the Holy Father'. About EX, 2
TALLEYRAND-PERIGORD CHARLES MAURICE DE: (1754-1838) Prince of Talleyrand. French clergyman, politician and diplomat, Prime Minister of France, 1815. D.S., Ch. Mau. Talleyrand, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, one page, folio, Paris, 17th May 1798, in French. The partially printed document, completed in manuscript, states that in virtue of a law passed on 12th December 1797 a fund of 3,501,688 francs has been made available to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its expenses, and by virtue of a decade-long decision made by the executive board the sum of 300,000 francs has been placed at Talleyrand's disposal for the year 1798, further instructing the commissioners of the National Treasury to make a payment of 50,000 francs for the extraordinary expenses of the ambassador and his establishment in Berlin. Talleyrand approves the payment and declares that the transaction, duly receipted, will be allocated in the accounts of the National Treasury. Some very light, extremely minor age wear, VG
FELLINI FEDERICO: (1920-1993) Italian film director, Academy Award winner. An excellent original colour crayon drawing executed and signed by Fellini, one page, 4to, n.p., n.d. (mid-late 1960s?). The image, predominantly drawn in black crayon although also including shades of blue, purple and pink, depicts a voluptuous lady, somewhat reminiscent of the actress Mae West, lying in a full-length naked pose on a bed. Signed by Fellini in black crayon at the foot of the drawing. Some very light, extremely minor age wear, VG Federico Fellini first met Mae West in 1963 and went to some lengths (apparently cooking her pots of pasta) in order to entice her into appearing in one of his films. The director declared 'Mae West is the mother of the empress, an erotic witch. She knows everything about the ancient ritual of bedrooms'. Ultimately the actress rejected Fellini's offers to appear in Juliet of the Spirits (1965) and Satyricon (1969).
‘Ah yes I ment to tell you another thought I had on John Lennon – deep down I feel he staged his own death & that he aint dead’ MANSON CHARLES: (1934-2017) American Criminal who led the cult-based Manson Family, responsible for multiple deaths (including the murder of Sharon Tate) and the subject of Quentin Tarantino's film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. A.L.S., Easy, Manson, six pages, 4to, California Medical Facility, Vacaville, n.d. (21st January 1981), to Nuel Melton Emmons. Manson writes, in part, 'The little things can be done RIGHT would mean we could move some big thoughts for Big bucks….a guy told me once that a person that could think up a life style where they didn't need money that they could have anything they wanted - I told him I had everything I wanted as in at that point of time I was not in a cage…..So I've thought up some little things, that will swing on you doing some little things perfectly - right - I'm treated like a dam fool….Things I could do & put into motion for the good of ONE self & ALL is kept down by the fears of people that keep telling me I'm afraid unless I destroy them with there (sic) own death wish. That makes it hard as hell to git around…..a God dam dog is treated with more respect - we need to be secret agents to git a rubber band, paperclips as the things other convicks (sic) git everyday. Long ago a person that didn't snich (sic) was respected for his word - the prison I've been in for the last years is 99% snich (sic) - There must be someone not sniching (sic) but I've yet to be locked in the place where they are. Ah yes I ment (sic) to tell you another thought I had on John Lennon - deep down I feel he staged his own death & that he aint dead. They been doing that for a long time. It's like when I laugh everyone laughs but when I cry some one dies so I don't laugh & I don't cry. Why do I wright (sic) you said you were gona (sic) wright. I ask about John Lynon (sic) & I watched for your letter. So I'll just say I don't think he's dead. He went crazy & thought he died. If we gona (sic) do radio TV thing we might as well do it right - Big Toys - I would rather have a good guitar but the radio is nice…..Its been hard for me to make plain for anything like tomorrow when my life been on the point & live from hour to hour day to day…..It's no big thing if I git anything - I'm content with nothing because I got lots of good dreams…..You realise there just toys to me & I don't need none of it - I got nothing to do…..' Accompanied by the original envelope hand addressed by Manson. Some light creasing and minor age wear, VGNuel Melton Emmons (1927-2002) American photojournalist and biographer of Manson. Emmons first met Manson briefly when he was imprisoned for automobile theft in 1956, and again under similar circumstances in 1960. In 1979, he contacted Manson and began extensive interviews and his correspondence with Manson resulted in the book In His Own Words - The Shocking Confessions of the Most Dangerous Man Alive (1986).
DOLGORUKOV VASILY ALEXANDROVICH: (1868-1918) Russian Prince, a Marshal of the Imperial Court and advisor to Tsar Nicholas II. Following the arrest of the Russian Imperial Family after the February Revolution Dolgorukov voluntarily accompanied the Tsar and his family into internal exile at Tsarskoe Selo. Barred from joining them in Yekaterinburg in April 1918, the Prince was taken and killed in July 1918 on order of the Bolshevik revolutionary Grigory Nikulin, who would go on to murder the Romanov family a week later. A scarce vintage signed sepia cabinet photograph by Dolgorukov, the oval sepia albumen print by Karoli & Pusch of Warsaw depicting the Prince in a head and shoulders pose. Signed in dark fountain pen ink to the lower photographer's mount, with a sentiment in Cyrillic, 'As a memento of love and respect for my life companion', and dated 1881 in his hand, most likely as a reference to the year of the assassination of Emperor Alexander II (whose mistress and morganatic wife was a member of the House of Dolgorukov) rather than the date of the photograph. With photographer's imprint to the lower mount and verso. Some very light, extremely minor age wear and two minor traces of former mounting to the upper corners of the verso, otherwise VG
MANSON CHARLES: (1934-2017) American Criminal who led the cult-based Manson Family, responsible for multiple deaths (including the murder of Sharon Tate) and the subject of Quentin Tarantino's film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. A.L.S., with a swastika symbol substituted for his name (as was his practice at times), six pages, 4to, California Medical Facility, Vacaville, n.d. (June 1973), to R. Thompson. Manson, writing in bold pencil, authors a rambling and occasionally incoherent letter, in part, 'What is broken cross on your hand for?....I git so much mail I need 50 people to do it, few I answer. I sent your letter to someone in another letter because I ran out of stamps….the letter I wrote you may not understand it because I thought you were someone els (sic) useing (sic) the name Ruth….I've been on my own since the year one & I've just watched everyone grow up backwards. My own company I like that also. I like my own time….I myself never learnt from books & feel enlightment (sic) comes from within…..I don't read much & wright (sic) little & care less about telling paper words to say what's already known in the heart…..the mind the truth the now is so symple (sic) that a confused programmed mind can't see it for looking & most people run from themselves in the name of looking for themselves. You think the Master comes from all races. HUH. That's proberly (sic) the easy thing for you to think…..Grase (sic) is more than a word it is a motion. Motions always changing & moveing (sic) from the soul…..As for eyes I don't even think Hitler has blue eyes. Les[lie] Van Houten (a member of the Manson Family) got brown eyes but whatever it means little…..I want my justice & that's out with my friends…..that never should of been put in cages to start…..Calif don't holds all the answers it holds me I am the answer for I'm in groove & am the answer to my world…..I don't think your superior or inferior to play superior you must also play not so superior…..it means little to nothing in knowing what brains think is what they are told when they are told right. You don't strive for perfection you are & perfection is the universe……but I'm not alowed (sic) to tell the truth so I hide in the cages. I know what I know but that's only for my self & my own knowing…..whatever it is to you I'm not sure [Lynette] Fromme (a member of the Manson Family who attempted to assassinate Gerald Ford) is a magic thing that reflects my majic (sic) motions & love. She is love because she loves above fears of past elusion & if I put it in her right she dances & sings & makes wonderfull (sic) pictures for me to feast my soul with. The Blue (Sandra Good, a member of the Manson Family and close friend of Fromme) is another magic being who grows with each day…..I am just as much the majic (sic) they gave me that I gave them that they reflected to me……Fromme got whatever I got cause I got in her a little & we got in each other…..all anyone ever seen was the bad part of them the good was much much more. Big Pattie Yellow (Patricia Krenwinkel, a member of the Manson Family) is no majic (sic) her eyes shine in the dark & her touch is as soft & gentil I should have fucked her more for she had all the good I could give her….but I didn't think she could have children…..I just looked up on the wall & its written that all white dogs must die…..I don't let people kill the spiders…..I've done my best for all but I guess it just wasn't good enough. When Mohat Mogandia (Mahatma Gandhi) got out of prison in India he had the will of the people. The English Queen had something to do with haveing (sic) him shot. That sacrifice took her top in the English money…..She helped put up that woman in India & she just lost her place over India but the English speeking (sic) woman sent her my thought & her dady (sic) laughing all the way from the bank of London. The Hendo pimps aint no better than any other pimps - you can only fuck so good & then the woman becomes peace…..I was locked up before Hitler died & before the end of War II alone & in darkness…..How can I escape from what I see what I am I can go to sleep & wake up a new me & make that day up in my own will…..it's all one big day…..each stroke in you was a 100 years & each touch a life time & I fucked you…..my own heart beet (sic) is your only life on earth & you gave me to a cell so you could suffer untill (sic) you earn me back into your soulless existence….Don't wright (sic) me no more, wright (sic) Red to begg (sic) her, you took her world, not mine…..I remain the all of nothing the nothing of everything & my me is all the love to me'. Accompanied by the original envelope hand addressed by Manson and signed ('C Manson') by him in the return address panel. Some light age wear, otherwise VG
![[NUREMBERG TRIALS]: RIBBENTROP JOACHIM VON (1893-1946) German politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nazi Ge](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/490e7209-4b7e-4aa3-9ba4-afab011e768f/3e6c621b-30bd-440d-af52-afac00d946e9/468x382.jpg)
[NUREMBERG TRIALS]: RIBBENTROP JOACHIM VON (1893-1946) German politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nazi Germany 1938-45. A remarkable D.S., J v Ribbentrop, in bold pencil, one page, folio, n.p. (Nuremberg), 25th January 1946, in German. The partially printed (mimeographed) document, completed in typescript, is addressed to the General Secretary of the International Military Tribunal and is a Defendant's Application for Summons for Witness in which Ribbentrop requests that the Duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, be summoned to give evidence on his behalf, as 'When presenting his credentials in 1936, von Ribbentrop expressed to the then King Edward VIII the desire of the Reich Chancellor for the closest cooperation between Germany and England. In the course of this audience, King Edward VIII declared that he, too, deemed such a cooperation necessary' and further explaining that such facts are relevant 'To disprove counts I and II of the General Indictment and the respective counts of the special indictments filed up to now'. Countersigned in bold pencil at the foot by Dr. Martin Horn, the Defence Counsel representing Ribbentrop. Accompanied by the official IMT English translation of Ribbentrop's document. Some file holes to the upper edge of each document, light overall age wear and minor traces of professional restoration, otherwise VG, 2 King Edward VIII's beliefs regarding Adolf Hitler and the Nazis have long been the subject of speculation. Many historians have suggested that Hitler was prepared to reinstate the Duke of Windsor as King in the hope of establishing a fascist puppet government in Great Britain after Operation Sea Lord. It is widely believed that the Duke and Duchess (whom the FBI were informed had slept with the German Ambassador in London, Joachim von Ribbentrop, in 1936) sympathised with fascism before and during World War II and were moved to the Bahamas to minimise their opportunities to act on their feelings. Joachim von Ribbentrop was arrested in June 1945 and subsequently convicted and sentenced to death at the Nuremberg Trials for his role in starting World War II in Europe and enabling the Holocaust. On 16th October 1946 he became the first of the Nuremberg defendants to be executed by hanging. Provenance: The present document originated from the archives of Dr. Hans Werner who was responsible for directing the printing of the Record of the Trial of Major War Criminals in 42 volumes and in three different languages (English, French & German) immediately following the Nuremberg Trials.
SCHELL MAXIMILIAN: (1930-2014) Austrian actor, Academy Award winner for Best Actor in 1961 for his role as Hans Rolfe in Judgment at Nuremberg. Signed 10 x 8 photograph of Schell standing in a half-length pose, in costume from his Oscar winning performance as the defence counsel Rolfe, in a scene from the epic courtroom drama Judgment at Nuremberg. Signed in black ink with his name alone to a largely light area at the base of the image. EX
ANDREWS JULIE: (1935- ) English Actress, Academy Award winner. A good signed 8 x 10 colour photograph of Andrews, the image depicting her in a half-length pose in costume as Maria, playing the main role in a scene of The Sound of Music (1969). Signed by Andrews `Sincerely Julie Andrews´, in bold blue ink to a light area of the image. VG
COCTEAU JEAN: (1889-1963) French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. Book signed and inscribed, being a soft cover French edition of the three-act play La Machine a ecrire ('The Typewriter'), First Edition published by Gallimard, Paris, 1941, The limited edition copy, on Alfa paper, is numbered 101, the limitations page stating, in part, 'cent dix exemplaires sur Alfa......dont cent exemplaires numerotes de 1 a 100, et dix exemplaires hors commerce numerotes de 101 a 110' (Translation: 'one hundred and ten copies on Alfa….[paper]….including one hundred copies numbered from 1 to 100, and ten private copies numbered from 101 to 110'). Signed and inscribed by Cocteau to the half-title page, 'Mon cher Andre, si profonde si haut, mon Coeur ne vous quitte plus jamais, Jean' (Translation: 'My dear Andre, so profound so high, my heart never leaves you again, Jean'), also adding his familiar small drawing of a star beneath his signature. Some very light, minor age wear, about VG
MASEREEL FRANS: (1889-1972) Flemish painter and graphic artist. A.L.S., Frans Masereel, one page, 8vo, n.p. (Paris), 3rd December 1928, to the editors of the Berliner Tageblatt, in French. Masereel writes, in full, 'Bien que je n'aime par ecrire j'ai fait une exception cette fois et vous envoi ci joint quelques lignes, (no longer present) qui, selon votre demande pourront, je l'espere prendre place dans votre supplement de Noel' (Translation: 'Although I don't like to write, I have made an exception this time and send you a few lines attached [no longer present], which, according to your request, will, I hope, be included in your Christmas supplement'). Accompanied by the original envelope hand addressed by Masereel. Together with a second A.L.S., Frans Masereel, one page, 8vo, n.p., 22nd December 1946, to a friend, in French. The artist writes in haste and encloses his sketches (no longer present) of the woodcuts of l'Eloge de la Folie as well as three photographs (also no longer present) and asks 'Choissez en une et renvoyez moi les deux autres le plus vite possible. Ainsi que les esquisses des bois' (Translation: 'Choose one and return the other two to me as soon as possible. As well as the woodcut sketches'). Four file holes to the left edge, only slightly affecting a few words of text, and with some light creasing. G to VG, 2
DOUGLAS MELVYN: (1901-1981) American actor, Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor in 1979 for his role as Benjamin Turnbull Rand in Being There. A good vintage signed 8 x 10 photograph of the young Douglas in a head and shoulders pose. Signed in bold blue fountain pen ink with his name alone to a light area at the base of the image. VG
HILLER WENDY: (1912-2003) English actress, Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actress in 1958 for her role as Pat Cooper in Separate Tables. Vintage signed 8 x 10 photograph of Hiller in a head and shoulders pose. Signed in blue fountain pen ink with her name alone, largely to a clear area of the image. A couple of very light, extremely minor corner creases, VG
‘I cannot resist the desire to repeat these words from your burning pen and adapt them to friendship although traced by love’ FERNIG THEOPHILE: (1775-1819) French military officer who, with her sister Felicite, enlisted in the French Army dressed as men during the French Revolutionary Wars, Once their gender was discovered they were granted permission to remain in service, becoming celebrities frequently mentioned in the contemporary French press. Appointed aide-de-camp officers under General Charles Francois Dumouriez, the Soeurs Fernig were sentenced to exile after Dumouriez’s treason of 1793. A rare A.L.S., Theophile (twice), four pages, 4to, Brussels, 18 Fructidor an 9 (5th September 1801), to Isidore Audeval, her cousin, in French. Fernig writes a lengthy letter, in essence a love letter, flowing with warmth and affection, stating, in part, ‘Oui, je suis encore ici..... Console-toi, mon ami, ta cousine n'etait point gaie quand tu t'affligeais, et s'il existe une heureuse sympathie entre les gens qui se conviennent, les notres en sont une preuve.......vous savez combien je me proposais de plaisir a vous y rencontrer.......Guilleminot n'arriva point, et au lieu de lui, je recus une lettre qui m'annoncait le retard de son voyage de 15 jours, trois semaines! J'ecrivis a ta soeur, je t'ecrivis aussi, et je dechirai ma lettre. Je te croyais a Mortagne, au milieu de tes amies, oubliant les absentes. Je t'accusais meme d'etre passe par Bruxelles sans etre venu les voir....que sais-je ce que je ne pensais pas!......La douleur est mere de l'injustice, et par elle je suis excusable: n'est-ce pas, mon ami? J'ai senti tout mon sang s'agiter, courir dans mes veines et refluer vers mon coeur, en apprenant votre chute de cheval. J'espere qu'elle n'aura pas de suite, mais prenez toutes les precautions et les menagements possibles: vous vous devez a vos amis autant qu'a vous-meme. Pourquoi trouverais-je mauvais le rapprochement de nos deux noms, quand l'amitie nous lie si etroitement?........Que ton ame honnete, delicate et sensible se penetre, se convainque bien de la purete de la mienne dans mon acquiescement a ce que tu fais, et de mon plaisir a faire le tien: Dieu m'en est temoin, et j'implore du ciel toute sa colere si ma candeur n'egale pas ma protestation. Croiriez-vous que je n'eprouve plus l'ombre de mes regrets de ne point avoir partage les plaisirs de Mortagne depuis que je sais que vous n'y etiez pas? C'est cependant la verite! Je n'ai de ma vie ete plus triste qu'en voyant ecoule le premier jour de cette fete, ne pouvant y aller et vous y croyant......Ne n'apesentis point sur le desagrement de ton metier. Tu es esclave, oui; mais tu l'es de l'honneur, et c'est le plus supportable des tyrans. Tu marches a travers de mille contrarietes, mais elles te couvrent de glorie et ton noble devouement fait triompher le myrte sur le laurier. Tu le sais, mon ami, le myrte est l'embleme de l'amitie. Jusque dans le moindre de tes sacrifices, il n'est point un sentiment qui ne t'en tienne compte, et tous ces sentiments sont dans le coeur de ceux qui t'aiment. Nous nous sommes vus trop peu de temps, il est vrai, et j'en ai ressenti la verite, mais il y a un moyen de nous en dedommager......je ne puis resister au desir de repeter ces mots sortis de ta plume brulante et les adapter a l'amitie quoique traces par l'amour: "Ecris-moi je le veux: ce commerce enchanteur, Aimable epanchement de l'esprit et du coeur, Cet art de converser sans se voir, sans s'entendre, Ce muet entretien, si charmant et si tendre. L'art d'ecrire. Abelard, fut sans doute invente, Par l'amante captive et l'amant agite, Tout vit par la chaleur d'une lettre eloquente". Comme eux, que notre amitie profite de cet art divin, de cette faculte celebre, et trompons l'espace, qui nous separe en nous communiquant toutes nos pensees, nos peines et nos plaisirs: nous adoucissons par a les premiers en doublant les derniers’ (Translation: ‘Yes, I’m still here…..Console yourself, my friend, your cousin was not cheerful when you were upset, and if there is a happy sympathy between people who suit each other, ours are a proof of it……you known with how much pleasure I intended to meet you there…..Guilleminot did not arrive, and instead of him, I received a letter which informed me of the delay of his trip by 15 days, three weeks! I wrote to your sister, I wrote to you too, and I tore up my letter. I thought you were in Mortagne, among your friends, forgetting the absent ones. I even accused you of having passed through Brussels without having come to see them……what do I know what I was not thinking!........Sorrow is the mother of injustice, and through it I am excusable: is it not, my friend? I felt all my blood rushing, running through my veins and flowing back to my heart, on learning of your fall from a horse. I hope it won’t be followed up, but take all the precautions and consideration possible: you owe yourself to your friends as much as to yourself. Why would I find the bringing together of our two names wrong, when friendship binds us so closely?.......Let your honest, delicate and sensitive soul penetrate itself, be well convinced of the purity of mine in my acquiescence in what you do, and of my pleasure in doing yours: God is my witness, and I implore heaven all his anger if my candour does not equal my protest. Would you believe that I no longer feel the shadow of my regrets at not having shared the pleasures of Mortagne since I learned that you were not there? It is however the truth! I have never been sadder in my life than when I saw the first day of this festival pass, not being able to go there and believing you were there……Do not dwell on the unpleasantness of your profession. You are a slave, yes: but you are one of honour, and that is the most endurable of tyrants. You walk through a thousand annoyances, but they cover you with glory and your noble devotion makes the myrtle triumph over the laurel. You know, my friend, the myrtle is the symbol of friendship. Even in the least of your sacrifices, there is not a feeling that you do not take into account, and all these feelings are in the hearts of those who love you. We saw each other for too little time, it is true, and I felt the truth of it, but there is a way to compensate us for it…..I cannot resist the desire to repeat these words from your burning pen and adapt them to friendship although traced by love: “Write to me I want it: this enchanting trade, Amiable outpouring of mind and heart, This art of conversing without seeing each other, without hearing each other, This mute interview, so charming and so tender, The art of writing, Abelard, was undoubtedly invented, By the captive lover and the agitated lover, Everything lives by the warmth of an eloquent letter”. Like them, let our friendship profit from this divine art, from this famous faculty, and let us deceive the space which separates us by communicating to us all our thoughts, our sorrows and our pleasures: we soften the former by doubling the latter’). A letter of beautiful content. Some light staining and minor discolouration (largely to the first page) and with a few minor, neat splits to the edges of folds. G Isidore Audeval served with the 16th Dragoon Regiment and Theophile’s correspondence with her cousin spans a period of five years from October 1797 to January 1803. The thirty-three letters were published by Honore Bonhomme under the title Correspondance inedite de Mademoiselle Theophile de Fernig, aide de camp du General Dumouriez (Firmin Didot, Paris, 1873), Bonhomme observing ‘We are surprised to find the grace, the playfulness, the candour of the young girl where we expected to meet perhaps only the roughness and the dark energy of the soldier’.
FERDINAND I OF NAPLES: (1424-1494) King of Naples 1458-94, one of the most influential and feared monarchs in Europe at the time and an important figure of the Italian Renaissance. A good D.S., Rex Ferd, one page (vellum), large folio, [Italy], 23rd August 1484, in Latin. The attractively penned manuscript document, in an elegant humanistic script and with display capital commencing 'Ferdinandus dei gratia rex Sicilie Hierusalem etc', is untranslated although is believed to concern a disputed marriage settlement. Some light staining and minor age wear and with a few small holes (four appearing where the original seal would have been affixed). VG
CONNERY SEAN: (1930-2020) Scottish actor, Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor in 1987 for his role as Jim Malone in The Untouchables. A superb signed 10 x 8 photograph of Connery in a head and shoulders pose in costume as the MI6 agent 007 from the spy film Never Say Never Again (1983) which represented Connery's last appearance as James Bond. Signed in bold black fountain pen ink with his name alone to a light area at the base of the image. EX
VAN DONGEN KEES: (1877-1968) Dutch-French painter. A brief A.L.S., Van Dongen, one page, 4to, Rue Juliette Lamber, Paris, 15th October n.y., to a lady, in French. The artist informs his correspondent 'Vous me trouverez tous les jours de 2 a 3 heures a mon atelier' (Translation: 'You will find me every day from 2 to 3 hours at my studio'). Some very light, minor foxing, otherwise VG
![‘….our wizard friend Tesla….’ [TESLA NIKOLA]: (1856-1943) Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer and futurist, best](https://cdn.globalauctionplatform.com/490e7209-4b7e-4aa3-9ba4-afab011e768f/8ccdf75b-2e2a-49b8-968e-afac00d5baf3/468x382.jpg)
‘….our wizard friend Tesla….’ [TESLA NIKOLA]: (1856-1943) Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer and futurist, best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. [HIGGINSON FRANCIS J.] (1843-1931) American Rear Admiral who served during the American Civil War and Spanish-American War and was the last commander-in-chief of the North Atlantic Squadron and first commander-in-chief of the North Atlantic Fleet. A collection of correspondence to Higginson from a variety of individuals at the time when Higginson was chairman of the United States Lighthouse Board (1898-1901) and seeking Tesla's assistance with wireless telegraphy. The collection comprises forty-eight A.Ls.S. and nine T.Ls.S., over 150 pages, 8vo and 4to, various places (New York, New Orleans, Washington, Newport etc.), largely 1898-1900, with both business and social content, some relating to wireless telegraphy and a few with references to Tesla, including Thomas Coulis, in part 'I have wanted to write to suggest….having some wireless telegraphy experiments while the Fleet is at Newport…..the scheme that had marked in my idle head was to use the Torpedo station as a Base for these experiments…..our electrical experts at the Torpedo station & on board the ships would do the work, & our wizard friend Tesla & his employers the Thompson Houston Company could furnish the machines necessary & advertise themselves as well at the same time. The Marconi experiments between…..[South] Foreland…..& Boulogne could be imposed (?) upon perhaps. The thing is at least up to date. The machines would cost something but if Tesla & the Thompson Houston people were called in their own advertisement would be sufficient & the plant would cost nothing….' (24th April 1899); Thomas Perry, Naval Secretary of the Lighthouse Board 1899-1901, in part, 'In response to my letter which I wrote Mr. Tesla for you, giving him certain data desired by him, he replied in an official way in a letter addressed to the Light-House Board, in which letter he states, “I shall soon place at your service, apparatus thoroughly practical and satisfactory in every respect.” After talking the matter over with Hoxie, we both became convinced that it would be necessary to tell Mr. Tesla that the Light-House Board had not requested him to go so far as to provide any apparatus, which you can well imagine, coming from him, would involve the expenditure of a great deal of money - money which the Board has not. So I addressed an official letter to Mr. Tesla, a copy of which I inclose (sic) herewith (no longer present) that you may see and have a perfect knowledge of what has been done, and I hope that you will approve of it.' (18th August 1899); Harry Taylor (7) largely discussing naval matters & tactics in war, in part, 'I think it will be well to have the fleet go to Newport and the officers to work out problems. To have the ships do so would require more, many more, than we have, but the fleet might as well lie there for a month or six weeks as at Tompkinsville and tactical problems, tactical war games and strategic war games could occupy them most usefully….' (2nd May 1899), 'The Captains who are here to see the President are going to meet…..at 2pm today to confer before going to the White House - and all hope you will be there' (2nd January 1900); William M. Folger (1844-1928) American Rear Admiral who served in the American Civil War (without seeing action) and fought in the Spanish-American War, thirty-two A.Ls.S., most with initials, largely social in content, although discussing naval matters, fever amongst the officers ('There is no reason in the world why it should not break out within a week in every village with 200 miles…..It is perfectly possible there may be a great epidemic'), Admiral of the Navy George Dewey and other mutual colleagues, recommending various novels and other books, warning against the side effects of Laxative Brown Quince, and in one letter mentioning the soprano Emma Eames, 'Mrs. Eames (mere) asked me to dinner for Wednesday - and the opera (Walkure) afterwards - to hear her daughter, who I suppose contributed the box, but I wanted Wed. free for some Bohemianism (quite harmless) with you and declined (To tell the very truth I am glad to get out of it). The female part of Eames family believe with a certain amount of justification that I plucked Eames as a brand from the burning - and whenever they get a chance they try to shew it. I don't mind much, but I do not care greatly to go to the opera with the old lady'; Nelson A. Miles (1839-1925) American General who served in the American Civil War, the American Indian Wars and the Spanish-American War and held the position of last Commanding General of the United States Army (1895-1903), Silas Casey III, Rear Admiral of the Pacific Squadron 1901-03, and several other individuals. Together with a small selection of printed ephemera including the subscription list and balance sheet of Miss Weston's work in the Royal Navy, 1st July 1894 to 30th June 1895 and a number of partially printed receipts and invoices (most torn and with various faults) from Hirsbrunner & Co., Watchmakers & Jewellers in Shanghai, Tat Cheong, Ship Compradore & General Dealer in Hong Kong, Alphonzo Smith, piano agent in New York, C. Guieu & Co., Parisian Bakery in Shanghai etc. Some overall age wear, a few P, generally G, 70
GABIN JEAN: (1904-1976) French Actor. Vintage signed 4 x 6 photograph of Gabin, the Roland Poelke image showing the French actor in a half-length pose in a scene of a film. Signed `Jean Gabin´ in bold blue ink to a light area of the image, also dated 1970 in his hand. Very small remnant of former affixing to the verso, otherwise G
SARGENT JOHN SINGER: (1856-1925) American artist, considered the leading portrait painter of his generation. A.L.S., John S. Sargent, two pages, 8vo, Les Chenes, Parame, Brittany, 2nd September n.y. (1883), to Monsieur Hubert, in French. Sargent thanks his correspondent for their gracious letter and continues 'Si la tombola est pour Dimanche le 8 le croquis peut encore etre utilise comme tout petit lot, si c'etait Dimanche hier veuillez avoir la bonte de me l'envoyer ici. Une autre fois je choisirai quelque fond plus facile a reproduire pour......l'avantage de paraitre dans votre journal' (Translation: 'If the raffle is for Sunday the 8th the sketch can still be used as a small prize, if it was Sunday yesterday please be so kind as to send it to me here. Another time I'll choose some background that's easier to reproduce…..for the benefit of appearing in your journal'). Some very light, extremely minor foxing, VGSargent wrote the present letter from the Brittany chateau of the French banker and shipping magnate Pierre Gautreau and his wife Virginie Amelie Avegno Gautreau (1859-1915). The American-born socialite became one of Paris's conspicuous beauties and was introduced to Sargent by her lover, the art collector Samuel Jean Pozzi. The introduction led to Sargent being invited to Parame where the artist produced around thirty studies of Virginie in various mediums, however it was also to result in Sargent's famous oil painting Portrait of Madame X (1884). The work depicts Gautreau standing in a suggestively coquettish pose in a revealing costume which was considered indiscreet when Sargent entered it into the Paris Salon of 1884. The painting caused such a storm of outrage and became so scandalous that it ensured Sargent would receive no more portrait commissions in France and he moved permanently to London where he progressed to become one of history's most famous portrait painters.
PENN SEAN: (1960- ) American actor, Academy Award winner for Best Actor in 2008 for his role as Harvey Milk in Milk. Signed colour 10 x 8 photograph of Penn standing before a microphone in a three-quarter length pose in costume from his Oscar winning performance as the gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk in a scene from the biographical film Milk. Signed by Penn with a typically hurried signature in blue ink to a light area of the image. EX
BUSH GEORGE H. W.: (1924-2018) American President 1989-93. T.L.S., George Bush, one page, 4to, New York, 23rd June 1972, to William W. Smith, on the printed stationery of the United States Representative to the United Nations. Bush thanks his correspondent for their thoughtful letter and continues to comment 'It's just great to hear from people like you who support President Nixon and realize his dedication to world peace and as well, who understand the efforts we are trying to make toward peace here at the U.N. There are indeed some shortcomings here which must be corrected and believe me, I am trying to make the U.N. even more effective than it is today'. Some light age wear and minor creasing, about VG
TURGENEV IVAN: (1818-1883) Russian novelist, poet and playwright. A.L.S., Iv. Tourgueneff, to two sides of a pain 12mo correspondence card, Rue de Douai, Paris, 14th April 1882, to Hjalmar H. Boyesen ('My dear friend'), in English. Turgenev writes a letter of introduction, stating that his letter will be forwarded by Professor Kowalefski of Moscow ('a great friend of mine') and explaining 'He has the intention to remain in America for three or four months - and I recommend you aa warmly as possible this very amiable and intelligent man, so as to render him his sojourn in your fatherland agreeable and useful'. Accompanied by the original envelope hand addressed by Turgenev to Boyesen in New York. Together with a T.L.S. by William A. Jackson of The Houghton Library at Harvard University, one page, 8vo, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 10th September 1963, to Stephen Rowan, thanking him for having sent the copy of Turgenev's letter to Boyesen and commenting 'It is the first Turgenev letter I have seen written in English. Normally he wrote as you know in French or Russian'. Rare. Some very light, minor age wear, otherwise VG, 2Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen (1848-1895) Norwegian-American author and professor of Germanic languages at New York's Columbia University from 1881.
JAMES BERTRAM 'JIMMY': (1915-2008) British Royal Air Force officer of World War II, a survivor of 'The Great Escape' from the Stalag Luft III prisoner of war camp in March 1944. A large 4to signed and inscribed Birthday greetings card by James, featuring a colour illustration to the cover of various flowers and wildlife including butterflies, quail and a wood mouse, signed in blue ink to the inside, above and below a printed greeting, with an inscription to his wife, 'Darling Madge…[with best wishes]….for a Happy Birthday with all my love, Jimmy xxxx'. To the blank inside front cover James has penned a four line quotation, in full, 'The time has come the Walrus said/ To speak of many things/ Of mice and birds and butterflies/ Of moles and coloured things' which he identifies as 'From Alice in Wonderland (appropriately) in memory of wild life at the Lodge!'. A few very light, extremely minor creases, VG
DALI SALVADOR: (1904-1989) Spanish surrealist artist. Signed colour 4 x 6 postcard, the image depicting the artist's painting The Ghost of Vermeer of Delft Which Can Be Used As a Table (1934). Signed ('Dali') by Dali with his surname only in green ink to a light area at the head of the image. About EX
JOHN PAUL II: (1920-2005) Pope of the Catholic Church 1978-2005, later canonised as Pope Saint John Paul II in 2014. D.S., + Karol Card. Wojtyla, as Cardinal and Archbishop of Krakow, one page, folio, Lublin, 19th September 1976, in Polish. The attractive partially printed purple, blue and gold coloured document, completed in manuscript, is a diploma of participation awarded to Henryka Pajaka for their participation in the final of the Sacrosong music festival. Signed by the future Pope in his capacity as President and Chairman of the festival and also countersigned by three other members of the jury including Father Jan Palusinski (1934-2013) organiser of the inaugural festival in 1969. Some light age wear and with a horizontal fold to the centre, otherwise VG
BETHUNE MAXIMILIEN DE: (1560-1641) 1st Duke of Sully, Marquis of Rosny and Nogent. French nobleman, soldier, statesman and trusted counsellor of King Henry IV of France who served as Chief Minister of France 1589-1611. D.S., Maximilian De Bethune, four pages, 4to, Paris, 28th November 1594, in Middle French. The manuscript document, un-transcribed, apparently refers to certain rents and is also countersigned by Rachel de Cochefilet (1566-1659) the second wife of De Bethune whom he married in 1592, and Anne Hennequin, wife of Jehan de Reffuge. An amendment to the document in the margin of the third page is signed by De Bethune in his capacity as Marquis of Rosny. Some very light, minor age wear, VG
DE NIRO ROBERT: (1943- ) American actor, Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor in 1974 for his role as Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II. An excellent signed and inscribed 10 x 8 photograph, the original Paramount Pictures publicity portrait depicting De Niro in a head and shoulders pose in costume from his Oscar winning performance as the young Vito Corleone from the epic crime film The Godfather: Part II. Signed by De Niro in blue ink to the image, 'To Paula, all the best, Robert De Niro'. A rare and highly desirable signed photograph. A few very light, extremely minor corner creases to the white borders, otherwise EX
GORDON RUTH: (1896-1985) American actress, Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actress in 1968 for her role as Minnie Castevet in Rosemary's Baby. Signed 8 x 9.5 photograph of Gordon in a head and shoulders pose in costume from her Oscar winning performance as the elderly Castevet from the psychological horror film Rosemary's Baby. Signed by Gordon in blue ink with her name alone to a light area of the image. About EX
HULL JOSEPHINE: (1886-1957) American actress, Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actress in 1950 for her role as Veta Louise Simmons in Harvey. An extremely rare vintage signed sepia 7.5 x 10.5 photograph of Hull in a profile head and shoulders pose. Photograph by the White Studio of New York. Signed by Hull in dark fountain pen ink to the image and dated 1928 in her hand. Some very light, extremely minor age wear and one very small tear to the centre of the upper edge, repaired to the verso with sellotape. About EX
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