Dallas, TX – Two lots of artwork from the private collection of critically acclaimed former comic artist and illustrator Jack Kent each could bring over $10,000 in Heritage Auctions’ Great American Comic Strip Online Auction Featuring the Jack Kent Collection, which ends Feb. 26 on HA.com.

The 206-lot auction features a trove of artwork drawn by others that he had acquired. The top two lots owned by Kent were a Hal Foster Prince Valiant #310 Sunday Comic Strip Original Art dated 1-17-43 (King Features Syndicate, 1943), which carries a pre-auction estimate of $20,000+, and Floyd Gottfredson and Ted Thwaites Mickey Mouse Daily Comic Strip Original Art 12-31-35 (Disney Enterprises & King Features Syndicate, 1935), for which the pre-auction estimate is $10,000+.

Other top lots from Kent’s personal collection, each with an estimate of $500+, include but are not limited to:

Jack Kent - MAD Cover Preliminary Original Art, Group of 4 (EC, circa 1970s)

Al Hirschfeld The New York Times Drama Section Original Art (NYT Co., 1940)

Chester Gould The Girl Friends Daily Comic Strip Original Art (Chicago Daily News, Inc., 1931)

E.C. Segar Thimble Theatre Daily Comic Strip Original Art dated 7-2-35 (King Features Syndicate, 1935)

Harold Knerr The Katzenjammer Kids and Dinglehoofer und His Dog Companion Sunday Comic Strips Original Art Group of 2 dated 9-18-38 (King Features Syndicate, 1938)

Kent (1920-85) was an American cartoonist and author-illustrator of more than 40 children’s books, known best by many for creating the King Aroo comic strip. In addition to his own books, Kent illustrated 22 books by other authors. King Aroo was syndicated and distributed internationally from 1950-65. The strip was not a huge commercial success, but was revered by its loyal base of fans, in part because of its use of puns and imaginative dialog. Kent also wrote and drew the seasonal 1968 syndicated Christmas comic strip Why Christmas Almost Wasn’t. He also wrote several articles (one of which he also illustrated) for MAD magazine in the late 1960s, and made a final contribution to MAD in 1977.

“What is extraordinary about the Jack Kent Collection offered here is that he not only was a highly acclaimed artist, but he also was an unabashed fan of other artists. His love of comic strips goes back to the early 1930s, when he began assembling his collection by writing fan letters to the artists of other strips,” Heritage Auctions Senior Vice President Ed Jaster said. “It is a great honor to see this slice of comic strip entrusted to Heritage Auctions by Jack Kent’s family.”

King Aroo strips are rare in the market, but are popular with collectors. Past King Aroo lots sold by Heritage Auctions include:

Jack Kent King Aroo Sunday Comic Strip Original Art dated 10-02-55 (McClure Newspaper Syndicate, 1955)

Jack Kent King Aroo Sunday Comic Strip Original Art Dated 8-30-1953 (McClure Newspaper Syndicate, 1953)

To see images and to learn more about the auction, visit: HA.com/40152.

New York — Swann Galleries’ sale of Classic & Contemporary Photographs on Tuesday, February 25 will bring forth an impressive selection of works, with American photographers forming the foundation of the sale. Highlights include works by Edward Steichen, landscape images from Edward and Brett Weston, documentary photography and more.

A selection of floral studies forms a high point of the sale, with the scarce 1939 (printed 1940) Edward Steichen dye transfer print White Lotus. Shot at Steichen’s nursery in Umpawaug, CT and printed by Noel Deeks, who was associated with the master photographer from 1917 to 1942, the work is expected to bring $50,000 to $75,000. Imogen Cunningham’s Magnolia Blossom, silver print, 1925, printed circa 1970, is present at $10,000 to $15,000, while Robert Mapplethorpe’s photogravures Three Roses in a Vase, 1983, and Tulip, 1984, are expected to bring $4,000 to $6,000 apiece.

A run of works by the masters of California formalism includes silver prints by Edward Weston, Brett Weston and Minor White. Highlights from the selection feature Edward Weston’s Eroded Rock, 1930 ($12,000-18,000), and Salt Beds, Floor of Death Valley (Dante’s View, Death Valley), 1938 ($5,000-7,500); Brett Weston’s Abstraction of Rocks, 1929 ($9,000-12,000), and Dune, Oceano, 1934 ($10,000-15,000); and White’s Beginnings, Rochester, New York (Frosted Window), 1952 ($7,000-10,000), Moon and Wall Encrustations, Pulneyville, NY, 1964 ($6,000-9,000), and Butte, Utah, 1964 ($4,000-6,000).

Studies in architecture verging on abstraction are led by Margaret Bourke-White’s 1933 warm-toned silver print The George Washington Bridge. The photo comes to auction from the collection of Robert Edward Kiehl, by descent, and is estimated at $50,000 to $75,000. Charles Sheeler’s propensity for complex compositions is on display with Buggy in a Barn, Doylestown, Pennsylvania (Christmas Card), sepia-toned silver print, 1915-17, printed 1928, with an estimate of $12,000 to $18,000. In 1932 Sheeler created a charcoal drawing from the image, now in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. Harry Callahan’s multiple exposure silver print Chicago, circa 1948, is present at $15,000 to $20,000.

Portraits of artists include Steichen’s silver contact prints Constantin Brancusi, Voulangis, France, 1922, and Portrait of Henri Matisse, 1930 ($10,000-15,000, respectively); Mapplethorpe’s silver print of Annie Leibovitz, 1983 ($4,000-6,000); Dawoud Bey’s The Artist Sana Musasama, silver print, 1986-87 ($2,000-3,000); and Phillipe Halsman’s silver print of Georgia O’Keeffe, 1976 ($2,000-3,000). 

Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans work for the Farm Security Administration include Lange’s Family Walking on Highway, Five Children, 1938, printed circa 1960 ($4,000-6,000) and Evans’s 1936 silver print Company Houses for Steel Mill Workers, Birmingham, Alabama ($6,000-8,000).

Additional documentary photographs include Peru, 1947. Congreso Panamericano de Arquitectos—a presentation album with 104 original photographs, of which 22 are by Martín Chambi. The images feature indigeonous people, pre-Colombian sites, artifacts, and architecture in addition to street scenes. The album was given to R. Berjman on the occasion of a Pan American Conference dedicated to architecture. The work is expected to bring at $30,000 to $40,000.

The popular vernacular section includes a group of six photographs of suffragists featuring images of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony ($800-$1,200); a collection of approximately 110 film stills from the 1933 movie King Kong with images of Skull Island and King Kong atop the New York City skyline ($2,000-3,000); an industrial album of 33 silver prints depicting the Redland, California distribution company’s process from production to distribution with images of employees, factory workers crating, canning and shipping oranges, as well as supermarket displays ($1,000-1,500).

A select group of photobooks includes a signed copy of Man Ray’s Photographies, 1920-1934, to Jack P. Mayer ($4,000-6,000); Alfred Steiglitz’s Souvenir Kodak Competition, 1905, with 10 mounted photographs by Steiglitz, Steichen, Anne Brigman and others ($4,000-6,000); and Karasu [Ravens], 1986, by Masahisa Fukase ($2,500-3,500).

Exhibition opening in New York City February 20. The complete catalogue and bidding information is available at www.swanngalleries.com and on the Swann Galleries app.

Ithaca, NY — Rare early photographs of China by the Chinese photographer Lai Fong, from the Loewentheil Photography of China Collection, will be exhibited for the first time at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University.

The landmark exhibition, Lai Fong (c.1839–1890): Photographer of China presents nearly 50 Lai Fong photographs made in the 1870s and 1880s of China. The photographs have been selected from the renowned Loewentheil Collection, which includes more than 21,000 early photographs of China. The exhibition features magnificent views of a rapidly growing Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Fuzhou, and Xiamen, and important early portraits of the diverse people of late Qing Dynasty China.

The leading Chinese photographer of the 19th century, Lai likely began his photographic career in Hong Kong in 1859. His professional studio, Afong opened in 1870 and operated for nearly a century. Lai established and ran his studio for decades until his death when he passed the studio on to his son and daughter in-law. Its artistic legacy, grounded in traditional Chinese art, influenced generations of photographers including contemporary Chinese image-makers.

黎芳 Lai Fong (c.1839–1890): Photographer of China presents a unique glimpse of China’s rich past through these early photographic masterpieces depicting the people, landscapes, cities, architecture, monuments and culture of China. This unprecedented exhibition provides a rare opportunity to see China and its people through the lens of the Chinese master photographer at the historical moment before the epochal transformations of the 20th century.

黎芳 Lai Fong (c.1839–1890): Photographer of China runs from 6 February 2020 to 14 June 2020. Admission is free.

This exhibition was curated by Kate Addleman-Frankel and Stacey Lambrow. Kate Addleman-Frankel, the Gary and Ellen Davis Curator of Photography at the Johnson Stacey Lambrow, Curator of the Loewentheil Photography of China Collection. It is supported in part by the Helen and Robert J. Appel Exhibition Endowment.

In addition to the exhibition in the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Lai Fong and Thomas Child: Photographs of Late Qing Dynasty Chinese Street Life will be held in the Rotunda Gallery in the Rare and Manuscript Collection at Cornell University Libraries, Ithaca, New York, February 6 - April 18, 2020.

Lai Fong and Thomas Child: Photographs of Late Qing Dynasty Chinese Street Life is the first exhibition devoted to 19th-century photographs of street life in Chinese cities. The show will feature images of the streets of Beijing and Hong Kong by the 19th-century master photographers Lai Fong and Thomas Child. Street photography has evolved as a unique and enduring art form since photography’s invention in the second half of the 19th century. Both Lai Fong and Thomas Child created systematic photographic portfolios of the Chinese cities in which they lived and worked. Each of their portfolios, most often collected and arranged in albums, contained some of the earliest photographs of Chinese street scenes. The photographs made by Lai Fong and Thomas Child of Beijing and Hong Kong are at once works of art and fascinating glimpses of everyday life for people living in 19th-century China
 
Jacob Loewentheil curated the concurrent Library exhibition, Lai Fong and Thomas Child: Photographs of Late Qing Dynasty Chinese Street Life, on view at Cornell’s Carl A. Kroch Library from February 7 to April 17, 2020.

About the Stephan Loewentheil China Photography Collection

The Stephan Loewentheil China Photography Collection of more than 21,000 photographs, based in New York, is the largest holding of historical photographs of China in private hands. For more information on the collection go to www.loewentheilcollection.com

Washington, D.C. — By the People, the Library of Congress’ crowdsourced transcription project powered by volunteers across the country is launching a campaign to transcribe Rosa Parks’ personal papers to make them more searchable and accessible online, including many items featured in the exhibition, Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words, starting today, the 107th anniversary of her birth.

Through By the People, anyone can explore, transcribe and tag digitized Library collections through open-source software developed by the Library to give all Americans new ways to connect to the treasures the Library of Congress holds. Anyone can contribute through the project website at crowd.loc.gov.

“Inviting, including and honoring the contributions of people from every walk of life is such a fitting way to honor Rosa Parks,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “By the People is all about individuals exploring, reading and understanding for themselves the significance of each item we have. These items are just as much about the day-to-day experience of one woman as they are about a world-changing civil rights movement, and that’s why we’re thrilled to invite everyone to join this project.”

Participants will learn about the relationships and events that shaped Rosa Parks’ lifetime of activism, her life as an individual and her experiences as an icon of the civil rights movement. Available for transcription are notes and fragmentary writings from the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Through powerful prose, these pages reveal a woman who was strong, courageous, clear-eyed and grounded in her core ethical beliefs, but not immune to pain inflicted by racial discrimination. The campaign also includes programs, invitations, flyers and other publicity material from Parks' ‎speaking engagements and events, demonstrating the evolving way Parks was remembered and honored by the American public.

Also available for transcription are letters to and from Parks’ mother, Leona McCauley; letters from her brother, Sylvester; a poignant letter from her father, James, and a large selection of letters to her husband, Raymond. Living apart as they looked for paying work in 1957 and 1958, Raymond and Rosa Parks coped at a distance with the fallout from her bus protest and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Participants can read for themselves loving, compassionate letters that reveal who Rosa Parks was as a woman. Other items, including a unique pancake recipe, shed light Parks’s day-to-day life.

Since By the People launched in October 2018, more than 12,000 volunteers have completed over 50,000 transcriptions. More than 8,000 have already been published on loc.gov. By the People transcriptions will make letters to President Abraham Lincoln, writings of suffragists, reports of baseball scout Branch Rickey, notebooks belonging to folklorist Alan Lomax, and Clara Barton’s diaries keyword searchable by the public online for the first time. Transcriptions also open these documents up to be read by individuals who utilize accessibility technologies like screen readers.

Philadelphia — Through June 7, 2020, the Philadelphia Museum of Art will present a selection of rare and noteworthy examples of American fine and decorative arts drawn from the collection of the late H. Richard Dietrich, Jr. (1938-2007). A Collector’s Vision: Highlights from the Dietrich American Foundation tells the story of a collector whose foundation has long shared Americana and rare books and manuscripts through an extensive loan program to institutions around the county.

Long-term loans to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, including many objects in the exhibition, began in 1966 and continue to this day. “This partnership has certainly supported our museum -- but, more importantly, we hope it has helped foster an appreciation for American art and its history even more widely,” says Timothy Rub, the George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer, Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Among the 55 objects on view in A Collector’s Vision are a delicate watercolor miniature of George Washington painted by James Peale and enshrined in a small gold case with a lock of Washington’s hair in the back; a signed Daniel Goddard bureau table from Newport; a quilt with squares depicting the life of President James Buchanan; Pennsylvania German frakturs and furniture; Chinese Export porcelain; and prints and watercolors.

A centerpiece is the re-creation of part of the Dietrich family’s living room in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, which includes a Paul Revere teapot, a John Singleton Copley portrait of John Bee Holmes; and a bombe desk attributed to Nathaniel Gould.

Publication

The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive publication on the Dietrich collection titled In Pursuit of History, A Lifetime Collecting Colonial American Art and Artifacts, distributed by the Yale University Press for the Dietrich American Foundation in association with the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The book was co-edited by H. Richard Dietrich III, president of the Dietrich American Foundation, and Deborah M. Rebuck, curator of the Foundation. Contributors include David L. Barquist, H. Richard Dietrich Jr. Curator of American Decorative Arts, and Kathleen A. Foster, Robert L. McNeil Jr. Senior Curator of American Art and Director of the Center for American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as well as other notable authors.

London — Peter Harrington, one of the world’s largest rare booksellers, is attending the California Antiquarian Book Fair, with a selection of rare books and unique objects each of which has a fascinating history. This year the California Book Fair is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Women's Suffrage in the United States and Peter Harrington will be displaying some items from the UK’s women’s suffrage movement.

Highlights include:

    •    Shakespeare’s rare Third Folio (1663);
    •    Works by Homer (1488/89) including the Illiad and the Odyssey, two of the earliest, most important and influential works of European literature;
    •    The first complete edition of The Birds of America by the great artist Audubon (1839-44);
    •    First paperback edition of the first Harry Potter book (1997) which appeared at the same time as the hardback edition;
    •    First edition of Brighton Rock by Graham Greene with its extremely rare pink dust jacket (1938);
    •    First edition of the “bible” of the women’s suffrage campaign History of Woman Suffrage by Susan B. Anthony;
    •    First edition of Rosalind Franklin's groundbreaking research paper contributing to the identification of the double helix structure of DNA (1953);
    •    A women’s suffrage hunger strike medal (1912).

Pom Harrington, the owner of Peter Harrington London, says “We are bringing over a hundred items to exhibit in California, selected to appeal to visitors to the fair. Highlights include a remarkable edition of Shakespeare’s works, the editio princeps of Homer’s works, the first complete edition of Audubon’s Birds of America, and a number of rare books and items from the UK’s women suffrage movement. We encourage visitors to the fair to contact us if they have any items for sale they would like us to appraise.”

The California Book Fair is being held at the Pasadena Convention Center, 300 East Green Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 on:

Friday, February 7, 2020 - 3 pm to 8 pm

Saturday, February 8, 2020 -11 am to 7 pm

Sunday, February 9, 2020 - 11 am to 5 pm

Haworth, England — An extremely rare and significant ‘little book,’ written by Charlotte Brontë in 1830 when she was just 14 years old, has returned to Haworth and the home where it was written, now the Brontë Parsonage Museum, where from 1 February it will be displayed as part of the Museum’s collection for the first time.
 
In November 2019 The Brontë Society was successful in its bid to bring back this extraordinary item, following a campaign that gathered support from across the world and the backing of many of today’s leading creative thinkers and artists including Dames Judi Dench and Jacqueline Wilson.
 
The exceptional title went under the hammer at the Drouot auction house in Paris and was sold to the Society for €600,000 plus auction costs. The manuscript completes the collection already held at the Brontës’ former family home, now a museum. This is the second in the series of six ‘little books’ entitled "The Young Men’s Magazines." Measuring just 35 x 61mm this tiny tome will be displayed alongside numbers 1,3,4 and 6 in the Museum’s collection from 1 February, when the Museum re-opens for the season. The location of number 5 has been unknown since the 1930s.
 
Ann Dinsdale, Principal Curator at the Brontë Parsonage Museum, comments: “The campaign to bring this wonderful item home has been an emotional, and at times, daunting journey, but the support, encouragement and generosity of so many people from across the globe made it every minute of it worthwhile. Welcoming the little book home to Haworth and seeing the book in place alongside the others in the series is the highlight of my career. It was always meant to be here in Haworth and we know that the thousands of visitors eagerly awaiting its arrival will love seeing it back where it belongs, continuing to inspire generation upon generation and enriching lives far beyond the walls where it was originally created almost 200 years ago.”
 
Kitty Wright, Executive Director of The Brontë Society, added: “This is an incredibly proud moment for the whole Brontë Society. A new acquisition for the Museum is always an exhilarating moment and seeing this mini manuscript in place alongside the others is something I’m sure will bring a smile to all our visitors, old and new, for a long time to come.”
 
The remarkable, unpublished manuscript features three intricately hand-written stories: "A letter from Lord Charles Wellesley," "The Midnight Song" and "Journal of a Frenchman [continued]." The inspirational book is also viewed as an insight into the young writer and includes a scene describing a murderer driven to madness, a theme familiar to fans of her most well-known work, "Jane Eyre."
 
The Brontë Society was able to acquire the manuscript thanks to a generous grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF), the UK’s fund to help save treasures from being lost forever, and support from The Pilgrim Trust, Friends of the National Libraries, The Aurelius Charitable Trust, R E Chadwick Charitable Trust, The Kenneth Hargreaves Trust, The Gordon Black Trust and Maggs Bros. In addition, the Society raised over £85k from more than 1,000 supporters through the charity’s first ever public Crowdfunder campaign.

Chicago — Potter & Potter Auctions is pleased to announce its upcoming midwinter magicana sale to be held on Saturday, February 29th, 2020 starting at 10am at the company's gallery, located at 3759 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, IL 60613. All lots from this event will be on display and available for public preview on Thursday, February 27th and Friday, February 28th from 10:00am to 5:00pm in the Potter & Potter facility. All times noted are CST.

Magic apparatus used by some of the world's most recognized performers of yesteryear occupies many of the top lot slots in this expertly curated sale. Lot #62, T. Nelson Downs' late 19th century billiard ball stand is estimated at $4,000-6,000. This nickel-plated example holds seven white balls and is accompanied by a LOA signed by George Daily and Mike Caveney. It states that the prop was donated to the Egyptian Hall Museum by Bud Tracy, one of Downs’s longtime friends, and that the piece was stored in Downs’s personal suitcase along with the balance of his act. Lot #67, Fu Manchu’s c. 1910 watch mirror and pistol illusion is estimated at $4,000-6,000. In this trick, a borrowed watch is forced into the barrel of the magician’s pistol. When the pistol is fired at a mirror resting on the performer’s table, the mirror shatters, and reveals the borrowed watch hanging from the back of the frame. This outstanding illusion includes a LOA describing the provenance of the apparatus. And lot #71, a c. 1979 wooden packing case used in the touring production of Doug Henning’s breakout hit The Magic Show is estimated at $3,000-5,000. This Magic Show Substitution/Metamorphosis Trunk is in working condition and is accompanied by historical information and documentation, including a LOA signed by magician and collector Abb Dickson.  

Materials owned, associated with, or used by Harry Houdini continue to thrill collectors almost a century after his untimely death in 1926. Lot #359, a life-size plasticine-clay bust of Houdini in a jacket and bowtie, is estimated at $5,000-7,000. This was one of two busts of Houdini housed at the Houdini Museum of Magic in Niagara Falls, Canada. A 1995 fire ruined many of the museum’s treasures; this sculpture was partially damaged in the blaze but has been restored to near fine condition. Lot #369, a pair of c. 1933 oval shaped Harry and Bess Houdini pocket mirrors, is estimated at $4,000-6,000. These “mirror cards” were presented to members of the Houdini Club of Philadelphia at its annual banquet on January 7th, 1933. This is one of ten pairs extant. And lot #375, a shadowbox containing fragments of Houdini’s water torture cell, is estimated at $2,000-3,000. The display includes two pieces of charred wood and two nails, from the construction of his original water torture cell, alongside a reproduction photograph and mini-poster advertising this signature escape stunt.

Fine selections of stage worn clothing and costumes insure that this sale is dressed for success. Lot #72, a c. 1979 jumpsuit worn and used by Doug Henning, is estimated at $2,500-5,000. It was made by Western Costume of Hollywood and is decorated with a large silver lightning bolt, outlined by red sequins. This iconic costume was used in publicity photographs, including one advertising Henning's performance of walking through a wall. Lot #107, a lot of two c. 1950s-era black and sequined stage costumes worn by Julie Capriotti Mulkey (wife and partner of the magician The Great Virgil), is estimated at $400-600. The pair comes with a vintage photograph of Julie wearing one of the costumes, as well as a hat and a sequined mask. And lot #439, a c. 1950s-era tuxedo owned and worn by The Great Virgil, is estimated at $250-350. The suit includes a wool tailcoat with two custom-tailored interior pockets - possibly for dove work - as well as trousers, a vest, a bow tie, and a dress shirt.  

This auction's library of nearly 75 antique to contemporary magic books is simply spellbinding.  Lot #247, a first edition of Houdini's Miracle Mongers and Their Methods from 1920 is estimated at $2,000-3,000. This handsome example includes an inscription on the flyleaf reading, “To my friend Walter Lippman, Best wishes, Houdini. I did the buried “alive” in Berlin Germany 1908 – rebuilt it in 1916 – & still have apparatus. H. May 27/26.” Lippman, the father of modern journalism, was a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. Houdini’s inscription provides more history on a stunt he infrequently performed, spotlighting the fact that he did present "buried alive" in Germany in 1908, long before a poster advertised it in 1914.  Lot #221, a 400+ page original typescript titled The Magic of Dai Vernon by Frank Csuri, is estimated at $800-1,200. Csuri passionately researched the art of sleight-of-hand and its modern masters; his first project was a complete transcription of the published record of Dai Vernon’s inventions. From there, he went on to transcribe the tricks and letters of other members of Vernon’s circle.  This massive body of work is only the second of its type encountered by the Potter & Potter experts. And lot #213, an 1897 copy of H.J. Burlingame's Herrmann The Magician His Life; His Secrets, is estimated at $500-700. This copy, with provenance to the British magician Charles Bertam, is inscribed "Charles Bertram/from/W Robinson" on the front page.

Important, can't look away antique promotional posters are another key category in this magicana sale. Lot #460, a c. 1918 Chung Ling Soo Peacock Feather poster, is estimated at $4,000-6,000. This handsomely framed half sheet color lithograph was printed in London by J. Weiner Ltd. and features a bust portrait of Soo in the center of a peacock feather, on a striped pastel background. Lot #459, a Chung Ling Soo Marvelous Chinese Conjurer poster, is estimated at $3,500-4,5000. This framed, half-sheet color lithograph is illustrated with a flag bearing the image of a dragon and an offset medallion portrait of Soo, and was printed in Birmingham by James Upton in 1912. And lot #463, a Horace Goldin The Tiger God poster, is estimated at $3,000-5,000. This framed lithograph, printed in c. 1910 in Birmingham by the Moody Brothers, depicts Goldin’s mini-magical play wherein a damsel was rescued from the jaws of a live tiger.

Rare, top-tier selections of ephemera, including correspondence and letters, are certain to make a long lasting impression on collectors. Lot #331, a rare, autographed letter from magician Buatier De Kolta to photographer, artist, and magician Robert Ankele is estimated at $1,000-1,500.  This two page letter on a single folded sheet is dated November 11, 1902 and notes, in part, “Many thanks for your kind concern of my health which is no worse. Sorry we were out when you called on Sunday. We went out to Staten Island to take fresh air and am glad to say I am feeling much better. Very obliged for the enclosed prescription which may be of use to me…” Lot #381, a letter from Harry Kellar concerning business matters, is estimated at $500-750. This boldly signed note is dated July 27, 1897 and is written on a single sheet of lithographed letterhead bearing his famous “imps” portrait. And lot #282, two letters from Alexander “The Man Who Knows” to Herman Homar of Chicago, is estimated at $200-300. They are both dated 1921, are written on pictorial letterhead, and bear stamped “C. Alexander” signatures.  

Photographs, archives, and oddities that defy traditional categories close the loop on this exciting magicana event. Lot #297, a collection of Lincoln Theatre Fire photographs and clippings collected by Harry Blackstone, his family, and associates, is estimated at $200-300. Blackstone was performing in Decatur, Il at the Lincoln Theater on September 2nd, 1942 when fire broke out in an adjacent building.  With calm humor, Blackstone was able to help the audience exit the theater safely, and without panic. Blackstone's son notes that his father’s orderly evacuation of the theater was perhaps his “greatest feat.” Lot #422, a c. 1914 photograph signed by Howard Thurston, Maurice Raymond, and Eugene Laurant is estimated at $1,200-1,800. Our experts believe that this original, hand-signed picture is probably the only image signed by these three great magicians together. And let's end this preview with a nod to lot #93, a c. 1950s-era Mombo The Talking Shrunken Head, estimated at $1,000-1,500. In this trick, the lifelike shrunken head whispers answers to questions posed to it from the audience. Many of these devices sold for the astounding sum (at the time) of $360 in the 1950s and 60s.

According to Gabe Fajuri, President at Potter & Potter Auctions, "This third sale from Jim's collection is a bit different in content than last year's auctions, but no less appealing, especially considering the fact that there is a greater variety of books, ephemera, and vintage magic posters than one might expect. While Jim's collection was filled with rare, scarce, and unusual vintage magic apparatus (many lovely examples of which are in this auction), his was not a one-dimensional collection. Of the three sales we have held showcasing his holdings so far, I'd say that this one is the most well-rounded."

Chicago — Potter and Potter's Vintage Poster sale, the company's first auction of the year, framed the company's entry into 2020 in the best way possible. After the hammer fell for the last time, 95 lots realized between $500-999; 19 lots made between $1,000-1,999; and 8 lots broke the $2,000 barrier. Prices noted include the company's 20% buyer's premium.

Posters spotlighting early 20th century politics and destinations were big draws in this event, taking several of the top lot slots. Lot #440, Panama Pacific International Exposition by Perham Nahl was estimated at $1,500-2,000 and realized $4,800. This time capsule, created to advertise the opening day of the 1915 World's Fair in San Francisco, was illustrated with the 13th Labor of Hercules. Lot #612, The Tree of Evil, a communist propaganda poster from 1912, was estimated at $500-700 and brought $2,400. It depicted Karl Marx leading a laborer to cut away the roots of ignorance that provided strength to “diseases and crime." And lot #587, C.R. Macauley's c. 1917 You Buy a Liberty Bond Lest I Perish was estimated at $150-250 and lit the lamp at $780. This World War I propaganda poster featured the Statue of Liberty pointing at the viewer, in the manner of Flagg’s Uncle Sam, urging Liberty Bond purchases.

1960s-era posters promoting international adventures were also a hot ticket at this important auction. Lot #217, N. Jungbluth's gold metallic poster featuring a colorful image of a Kabuki actress was estimated at $150-250 and rose to $900. This example was produced for the Brazilian airline Varig in the 1960s. And two travel posters for Air India featuring a playful Maharaja, or Hindu Prince, captured the imagination - and wallets - of bidders. The first, lot #200, had a colorful image of Maharaja playing an antique gramophone. It was estimated at $800-1,000. The second, lot #201, was illustrated with an image of Maharaja at the Trevi Fountain, dropping a coin in behind his left shoulder with two monks doing the same to ensure a return trip back to Rome. It was also estimated at $800-1,000. Each delivered $2,880.

Midcentury posters featuring bold imagery to advertise domestic travel and business were well represented - and received - at this event. Lot #241, David Klein's 1964/65 New York World’s Fair Fly TWA Jets was estimated at $1,400-2,000 and soared to $2,400. This extremely rare travel masterpiece came to life with fireworks and the fair’s giant globe on a bright orange background. Lot #258, an original illustration for a travel poster depicting the “golden corn” of Iowa, was estimated at $250-350 and traded hands at $1,440. It was illustrated by R. Foster Lipowicz in the 1950s. And lot #261, an original illustration for The Bell Telephone Company, also by Lipowicz in the 1950s, was estimated at $200-300 and realized $1,020. It was in the style of Salvador Dali and featured a mouth and an ear superimposed on telephone poles and wires spanning a map.

Posters advertising circus and magic acts of times past were also key categories in this sale. Lot #547, Kellar the Great Magician, from 1894 brought $2,400. This iconic poster debuted the “whispering devils” theme that has been endlessly copied by magicians since Kellar’s time.  Lot #463, a poster from Great Britain’s Great Carmo Circus and Menagerie was estimated at $50-$100 but stormed the big top to $1,560. This 1929 lithographed poster featured an elephant riding a tricycle. And lot #564, a collection of 7 magic posters and window cards was estimated at $100-200 and sold for $510. The grouping included promotional materials for Kalanag, Henry, Paul Fleming, F.E. Powell, Ken Griffin, Paul Daniels, and Maurice Raymond.

This sale came full circle with robust selections of music, cultural, and sporting themed posters, as well as other visual treats. Lot #627, a gallery poster by artist Helen Frankenthaler in 1991 was estimated at $100-200 and made $660.This offset color example was warmly inscribed by Frankenthaler to the former owner on the lower left, and signed on the lower right. And lot #624, Johnny Appleseed original illustration art painted by Howard Mueller in 1946, was estimated at $80-125 but came to fruition at $510. This piece, depicting the pioneer of American lore spreading seeds across the land, was signed and dated on the verso, and included a notation indicating the work was intended as an illustrations in a Coronet publication.

According to According to Gabe Fajuri, President at Potter & Potter Auctions, "We were pleased with results across the board in this sale - which showed strong interests in posters in virtually all categories. Strong competition from dealers and collectors alike made for an engaging auction that brought in solid results. I'm looking forward to our next vintage poster sale in the fall with great anticipation."

New York — The Thursday, January 30 sale of African-American Art from the Johnson Publishing Company at Swann Galleries was an all-around success. The packed auction room saw all 87 lots find buyers, bringing $2.9 million—over twice the high-estimate for the auction—29 new auction records were established, and 22 artists made their market debuts.

Nigel Freeman, director of Swann Galleries’s African-American Fine Art department, remarked on the offering from the Ebony and Jet publishers: “It was an honor and a thrill to close this chapter of the Johnson Publishing Company’s illustrious history with a perfect sale of their works. The sale of the collection was the perfect storm of an auction—a prestigious name anchored with significant works by important artist, but with a wonderful new group of artists fresh to the secondary market, providing numerous opportunities for collectors.”

Leading the sale was the earliest work in the collection, Henry Ossawa Tanner’s nocturnal oil on canvas Moonrise by Kasbah (Morocco), 1912, at $365,000. The high price for Tanner (second-highest at auction) was followed up closely by the most contemporary artist from the offering, Carrie Mae Weems. Weems’s 1996-97 Chicago Public Art Program commission of seven framed panels with sandblasted text on glass garnered a new auction record for the important contemporary artist at $305,000.

Many of the works in the collection came from the 1970s. Highlights included Dindga McCannon’s 1970 oil on canvas The Last Farewell. McCannon was present in the auction room as her work made its market debut to a roar of applause, at $161,000. Kenneth Victor Young’s vibrant 1971 oil on canvas abstraction in greens and yellows Upper Egypt crossed the block at $87,500. Fresh off its exhibition at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Francis A. Sprout’s 1971 acrylic on canvas Azo garnered $50,000, an auction debut for Sprout.

A number of market mainstays saw new auction records: Richard Mayhew with Departure, oil on canvas, 2006, at $233,000; Walter H. Williams’s White Butterfly, oil on canvas, 1969, at $125,000; and Bazar Du Quai, Port Au Prince, Haiti, oil on canvas, 1961, by Loïs Mailou Jones, at $75,000.

Elizabeth Catlett’s 1973 cast bronze sculpture Sister was won for $149,000. Additional highlights in sculpture featured Richmond Barthé, whose cast bronze bust The Negro Looks Ahead, 1944, brought $50,000.

“An auctioneer can wait for an entire career to have a sale like Thursday’s, but when it happens it is a transcendent feeling—a validation of all our strength together,” noted the house’s President, Nicholas D. Lowry, who called the sale.

The next sale African-American Fine Art will be held on April 2. Visit swanngalleries.com or download the Swann Galleries App for more information.