UPTOWNflavor

SWANN GALLERIES’ 13TH ANNUAL AUCTION OF PRINTED & MANUSCRIPT AFRICAN AMERICANA ON FEBRUARY 21

The auction catalogue cover shows a circa 1900-1905 unrecorded image of singer Sissieretta Jones, known as “The Black Patti.” Auction estimate: $2,500 to $3,500.

Volume 1, number 1 of Harlem; a Forum of Negro Life, a literary magazine edited by Wallace Thurman, a great rarity of the Harlem Renaissance, 1928. Auction estimate: $6,000 to $9,000.

(Excerpt from BlackNews.com) – On Thursday, February 21, Swann Galleries will conduct their 13th annual auction devoted to Printed & Manuscript African Americana. The sale offers a diverse selection of historical documents, autographs, manuscripts, books, photographs, historical prints, posters, and other ephemera.

The sale opens with an especially rich selection of items related to Slavery and Abolition, beginning in the 17th century and running through the Civil War and Reconstruction.

A large section on business features many items relating to Madame C. J. Walker, the famed hair-care products entrepreneur, including a signed check, a telegram, product packaging, a silver print portrait by African-American photographer Addison Scurlock, Washington, DC, circa 1910-1915 ($3,000 to $5,000); and photographs of her daughter A’Lelia, who was a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance.

Other valuable items related to historical figures include two groups of Autograph Manuscript Notes by Booker T. Washington for speeches, circa 1910 and 1912 ($4,000 to $6,000 each); and a 1923 photograph showing Marcus Garvey outside the “Tombs,” where he was held during a long trial on charges of mail fraud. The photo, which is initialed by Garvey, is captioned “Harlem Weeps Over Garvey–Jailbound” ($1,500 to $2,500).

An archive of Nation of Islam material features five Typed Letters Signed by Elijah Muhammad, 1950s-70s ($5,000 to $7,000); and a group of eight Postcards from Malcolm X to his friend Gordon Parks describing his hajj to Mecca in 1964, along with related material, 1964-80 ($15,000 to $25,000).

Among notable books in the sale are several by W. E. B. Du Bois, among them a signed and inscribed first edition of his classic work, The Souls of Black Folk, Chicago, 1903, with a signed photo portrait ($3,500 to $5,000); and many fine literary works, such as a first edition of Nancy Cunard’s classic Negro Anthology, once in the library of Guy B. Johnson, former editor of the African-American newspaper Amsterdam News, 1934 ($6,000 to $8,000), as well as her rare Black Man, White Ladyship, 1931 ($1,500 to $2,500); a fine copy of Georgia Douglas Johnson’s Bronze: A Book of Verse, Boston, 1922 ($2,500 to $3,500); several signed titles by Langston Hughes; and a very scarce copy of volume 1, number 1 of Wallace Thurman’s literary magazine Harlem; A Forum of Negro Life, New York, 1928 ($6,000 to $9,000). The literature section also offers a large archive of typed essays on Negroes in New York, compiled under the aegis of the Works Progress Administration, which includes a piece by Ralph Ellison, 1936-38 ($2,500 to $3,500).

Of visual interest are fine photographs by Gordon Parks, as well as early vernacular photos; various historical prints and posters, including a rare “Uplift” poster titled Colored Chieftains, the first we’ve seen, Cleveland, 1885 ($3,000 to $5,000); and works of art by Robert Blackburn, Hughie Lee-Smith, James Amos Porter and Charles White.

The auction will take place on Thursday, February 21 at 1:30 p.m.

The items will be on public exhibition at Swann Galleries on Wednesday, February 13 through Friday, February 15, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, February 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Monday, February 18 through Wednesday, February 20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Thursday, February 21, from 10 a.m. to noon. Groups wishing to attend the preview are requested to make advance arrangements.

An illustrated catalogue, with information on bidding by mail or fax, is available for $35 from Swann Galleries, 104 East 25 Street, New York, NY 10010, (212) 254-4710, extension 0, and can also be viewed online at www.swanngalleries.com. Bids can also be submitted by e-mail via the website.

For further information, and to make advance arrangements to bid by telephone during the auction, please contact Wyatt H. Day at (212) 254-4710, extension 300, or via email at whday@swanngalleries.com.