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Schedule Dr.
Joel A. Freeman
for your next
Black History,
Diversity
or
Staff
Development
Event
What would ever motivate
a White Man to be interested in Black History?
CLICK HERE
for a brief response.
Contact info for Dr. Freeman is at the bottom of this page.
Dr. Joel A. Freeman on Facebook
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black history, African American, black heritage, black history month, egypt, pyramids, rosetta stone, frederick douglass, george washington carver, booker t. washington, slave ship, abolition, british slave trade, phillis wheatley |
- An Ever-Expanding Black History Collection -
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black history, African American, black heritage, black history month, egypt, pyramids, rosetta stone, frederick douglass, george washington carver, booker t. washington, slave ship, abolition, british slave trade, phillis wheatley |
"African
American History and the Entrepreneurial Spirit"
Lessons from Blades of Grass in a Concrete Jungle |
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There are many
historical reasons why people have been and continue to be challenged by the
hardships
that
accompany racism, prejudice and bigotry. Those hardships can be
likened to the claustrophobic
layers
of
concrete that gradually seek to nullify all viable
options available to an individual under such weight.
But as Russian historian and
novelist, Alexander Solzhenitsyn once remarked, "If the
whole
world
were covered
in concrete,
a single blade of grass would sooner or
later break through."
A truth-centric view of history will graphically describe
the concrete of the Slave Trade,
slavery, fugitive slave laws, reconstruction, Jim Crow and
the struggle for civil rights.
However, there are many examples of people who have, like
blades of grass, have broken
through and defied the
power of the concrete. These are the stories we will tell.
Blades of grass cracking the mighty concrete from beneath.
The Freeman
Institute Black History Collection and galleries will be
dedicated to
sharing some of the most
powerful wisdom lessons gleaned from the many
"blades of grass" who have patiently worked their way through the concrete.
Let's take a look at one special blade of grass -- Phillis
Wheatley -- the first of many...
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1. The rare 1838 edition of Phillis Wheatley's Memoir and Poems (Isaac Knapp, Boston, 1773 was the year of the First Edition funded by Selina, Countess of Huntingdon...see below) -- A 28 page memoir of Wheatley by Margaretta Matilda Odell, a collection of Wheatley's poems, and perhaps most importantly, it contains the third publication of the poems of the North Carolina slave George Moses Horton, preceded only by a pamphlet published in Raleigh, NC (originally entitled The Hope of Liberty, an unobtainable volume), and a reprint in 1837 in Philadelphia (no copies in American libraries). The first appearance together of the two of the first three published African-American poets (separated only by Jupiter Hammon). An exceptionally scarce title. Wheatley, born in Africa around 1753, was enslaved and brought to America in 1761. Tutored by the Wheatley family, Phillis was able to read the most difficult passages from the Bible within sixteen months. She started writing poetry at the age of twelve and by 1770 was well known in Boston and England for her elegies. Her published poetry initiated both African-American literature as well as the strong tradition of literature by African-American women -- order postcard of Phillis Wheatley |
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BACKGROUND: In 1767, the Newport Mercury published Phillis Wheatley's first poem, a tale of two men who nearly drowned at sea, and of their steady faith in God. Her elegy for the evangelist George Whitefield, brought more attention to Phillis Wheatley. This attention included visits by a number of Boston's notables, including political figures and poets. She published more poems each year 1771-1773, and a collection of her poems was published in London in 1773. The introduction to this volume of poetry by Phillis Wheatley is unusual: as a preface is an "attestation" by seventeen men of Boston that she had, indeed, written the poems herself:
The collection of poems by
Phillis Wheatley followed a trip that she took to England. She was sent to
England for her health when the Wheatley's son, Nathaniel Wheatley, was
traveling to England on business. She caused quite a sensation in Europe.
On 13 May
1773 Selina Hastings, the Countess of Huntingdon, wrote to Susannah
Wheatley (Mrs. John Wheatley), concerning religious matters --
"Your
little Poetess remember me to her may the Lord
keep her & hope comfort
her heart alive with the fire of that altar that
never goes out, & may all under your roof dwell safe under the shadow of
Jesus with great delight..." She
mentioned Phillis (little poetess), who sailed that month with
Nathaniel Wheatley for England. The Countess of Huntingdon (1707-1791) was
a Methodist religious leader in England, and Phillis's Poems on Various
Subjects is dedicated to her. While Phillis met many people of
interest in England, she was unable to connect with the Countess.
She had to
return unexpectedly to America when they received word that Mrs. Wheatley
was ill. Sources disagree on whether Phillis Wheatley was freed before,
during or just after this trip, or whether she was freed later. Mrs.
Wheatley died the next spring.
-- The September 1773 edition of the
Gentleman's Magazine -- first published mention of
Phillis Wheatley's book.
Selina became an heir of the (Earl of Ferrer) fortune, along with inheriting the fortune of her husband (Earl of Huntingdon). Selina had become a Christian in 1739 and after the death of her husband (1741) she used the funds for the establishment of the Methodist church and the propagation of the gospel. The Countess funded Phillis Wheatley's book (London first edition) in 1773 without even actually meeting Phillis during her famous trip to England in 1773. This is the story behind the story.
-- An absolutely rare original autographed letter from
London dated December 7, 1728 and signed by Washington
Shirley, 2nd Earl Ferrers (1677-1729). Washington Shirley
died on April 14, 1729. This letter appears to be concerning
estate matters. Another contemporary hand has added a note
at the top of the second page regarding the showing of this
letter to his son-in-law and daughter the Earl of
Huntingdon & Selina, Countess of Huntingdon, on October
11, 1730...which was signed Jos Hayne. The additional writing
on the top of the second page seems to indicate that this
letter was an important aspect as the estate was being
settled. In the letter is mention of Mr Shepperton, Mr
Maunder, Dr Mead, mention of Northampton....mention of
Springwood, Dorchester, etc.
-- Limoges
platter, upon which the SS Phillis Wheatley ship was
beautifully hand painted. It is signed on the back of the
platter by the painter, Mrs. E.F. Cantrill (Chicago, IL
dated Aug. 1921). It measures 12 inches by 17 1/2 inches and
is in great condition. There is quite a story behind this
image.
-- Extremely rare 78 rpm
10"
Pathe Actuelle
disc no. 032053 with blues singer Hazel Meyers in
1923 sings 'Black Star Line', a homage to Marcus
Garvey's Black Star Line, a shipping company formed by
Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association for
the transport of goods and people from the USA to Africa.
Garvey's plan failed for a variety of reasons, not least the
fact that Garvey was sold ships that were in very poor
condition. Here Hazel Meyers, with accompaniment by Fletcher
Henderson and trumpeter Howard Scott, dreams of 'Going home
on the Black Star Line'. The reverse is 'Pipe Dream Blues."
Historian and writer, John
Cowley, states that references in "Black Star Line" to the song, "Buddy
Abraham," recorded by the Banda Belasco, Trinidad (1914) and "Sly
Mongooses" (1923) -- together with the derogatory comments regarding
"monkey chasers" -- exemplifies antagonism between elements in black
North America and migrant workers. The description "country man" is an
allusion to Garvey's followers and his avowed intention of organizing
the repatriation of black people to their place of origin, Africa.
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A N I N T R I G U I N G M Y S T E R Y
P I E C E ~~~~~
19th Century painting of a corn-cob-pipe-smoking African American woman who
bears a A large (18" wide x 24" tall), unsigned 19th century oil painting of an American Slave woman, most likely painted during her life. Though we are not experts on paintings we feel this is realism. Realists render everyday characters, situations, dilemmas, and objects, all in a "true-to-life" manner. Realists tend to discard theatrical drama, lofty subjects and classical forms of art in favor of commonplace themes. We are not sure who painted this woman, but we can see for certain this portrait was meant to be very realistic. In person, this artwork is compelling, a viewer cannot help but feel the meaning in this work. As you can see below, we are intrigued by the similarities between this oil painting and the famous Harriet Tubman. We researched artwork and famous women slaves of that era in America and found many characteristics are shared between the woman in the painting and Harriet herself.
Would you like a
museum-quality framed giclee' reproduction of this painting?
Could this be a lost, genuine painting of the real Harriet Tubman?
V A R I A B L E S T O
C O N S I D E R A S Y O U C O M P A R
E
The painting itself is about
24" high x 18" wide. The large size of the painting alone
causes us to think that this was the portrayal of an important or at least
a compelling/intriguing person. This painting was acquired from Arizona. The bronze colored frame is about 23
inches wide by 29 inches high. There is some writing on the back of the
frame which looks like F.E.D. Deutschbein...but quite hard to make out. On
the front of the painting there is a marking that has been painted over or
rubbed out for some reason that states "Annual..." and some other words
but they are now covered over.
It also
has a very old store sticker on the back of the frame which states "Gimbel
Brothers, 33rd St. and Broadway, New York, N.Y. with Picture Department
and the numbers 36025" which you can clearly see in the photos above.
Gimbels was the flagship of all Department stores at one time and started
out in 1887 but closed its doors not long ago in 1987 after 100 years of
service. The painting is done on canvas board (cardboard material covered
with canvas). Our research indicates that canvas boards were first
manufactured and commercially available in the 1870s.
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Josiah
Wedgwood sent a large number of cameos to Benjamin Franklin
in Philadelphia who also remarked on the value of the
medallion as a means of bringing awareness of the existence
if slavery to the public. What is particularly amazing is
that the climate of the Revolutionary War was hostile to
good British/American relations. In this context the
abolitionist movement was born and people came together to
fight the evils of the Slave Trade. |
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BACKGROUND:Josiah
Wedgwood (1730-1795) is considered by many as one of the most
influential figures in the history of Western civilization ceramics,
and was a successful and renowned innovator, scientist and
businessman. He was also a supporter of the 18th century Anti-Slavery
Committee and designed a cameo medallion depicting a slave kneeling in
chains surrounded by the inscription, “Am I not a man and a brother?”
Benjamin Franklin said of Wedgwood’s tokens, “they may have an effect
equal to that of the best written pamphlet.” Although thousands were
freely given to anyone who shared Josiah’s sentiments on slavery,
thousands more were manufactured and sold. Wedgwood showed that one
could promote social change while building a business. Doing good
while doing well.
This
symbol was the first and most
identifiable image of the 18th century abolitionist movement: a
kneeling African man. Members of the Society of Friends,
informally known as Quakers, were among the earliest leaders
of the abolitionist movement in Britain and the Americas. By the
beginning of the American Revolution, Quakers had moved from viewing
slavery as a matter of individual conscience, to seeing the
abolition of slavery as a Christian duty. Quakers, who believe in
simplicity in all things, tended to view the arts as frivolous; but
when the Quaker-led Society for Effecting the Abolition of the
Slave Trade met in London in 1787, three of its members were
charged with preparing a design for "a Seal to be engraved for the use
of this Society." Later that year, the society approved a design
"expressive of an African in Chains in a Supplicating Posture."
Surrounding the naked man was engraved a motto whose wording echoed an
idea widely accepted during the Enlightenment among Christians and
secularists: "Am I Not A Man and A Brother?" The design was
approved by the Society, and an engraving was commissioned. ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND: The design was symbolic both artistically and politically. In addition to evoking classical art, the figure's nudity signified a state of nobility and freedom, yet he was bound by chains. Black figures, usually depicted as servants or supplicants, typically knelt in the art of the period, at a time when members of the upper classes did not kneel when praying; this particular image combined the European theme of conversion from heathenism and the idea of emancipation into a posture of gratitude. In 1788, a consignment of the cameos was shipped to Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia, where the medallions became a fashion statement for abolitionists and anti-slavery sympathizers. They were worn as bracelets and as hair ornaments, and even inlaid with gold as ornaments for snuff boxes. Soon the fashion extended to the general public. Although the intent and the effect of the emblem was to focus public opinion on the evils of the African slave trade (which it did accomplish), its ultimate effect was to underscore the perception of black inferiority. The supplicant posture of blacks persisted as a standard feature of Western art long after slavery was abolished. Ironically, although the image became the emblem of the anti-slavery movement, the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade was emphatic that its only goal was the abolition of the slave trade, not of slavery itself. That position was vigorously protested by individual members such as Granville Sharp, the most influential abolitionist of his time. -- Unique vintage brass door knocker with an image of William Wilberforce on the knocker. On the part affixed to the door is an image of the African slave with the words, "Am I Not A Man and A Brother?". -- Deluxe Ruskin Folio Limited Edition JMW Turner R.A. - The Slave Ship -- Fine Laid Paper with full Intaglio plate mark ~ VERY RARE 1 of only 160 published plates. Beautiful JMW Turner R.A. illustration from the work in the Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, U.S.A." published in 1900 as one of only 160 de-luxe folio edition illustrations compiled by Frederick Wedmore as an "Exposition of the Work of Turner from the Writings of Ruskin" and published by George Allen, Charing Cross, London.
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--
Joe Louis, The Brown Bomber Little
Big Book, dated 1936, is approximately 3 1/8" x 4 1/2" and it has 238
pages. There are many photos of Joe in training, talking with his manager,
being certified medically fit, fight scenes, etc. These old books of
sports figures like Joe Louis do not come along very often.
--
A vintage, original 1935
Joe Louis vs. King Levinsky boxing poster.
Poster measures approx. 6"
x 12" and is printed on pulp
paper.
-- Boxing gloves personally signed by Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier,
George Foreman, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard &
others...
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4. One-of-a-kind signed letters/albums/contracts/sheet music from
Nat King Cole, Dizzy
Gillespie, Duke
Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Louis Armstrong, B. B. King, Ethel Waters, Pearl
Bailey, Miles Davis, Lindy Hoppers, Sarah Vaughan, Fats Domino, Quincy Jones, Earl Hines,
Etta James, S. Coleridge-Taylor, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis, Jr.,
Grover Washington, Jr., Count Basie,
Mills Brothers, Ozzie Davis,
Lena Horne, Four Tops, Cicely Tyson, James Brown, Charley
Pride, Bo Diddley, Bobby Blue, Chubby Checkers, and others...Negro Actor's
Guild 1945 Program (NAG, with Noble Sissle as president) is pictured to the left. -- AFTRA Contract signed by Cicely Tyson for her appearance on the Nancy Wilson Show pilot, Mar. 18, 1973. Paid $181. -- AFTRA Contract signed by Lena Horne for her appearance on Kraft Music Hall, Nov. 17, 1969. Paid $7500 and $50 per diem, plus 2 First Class R/T air tickets from LA to NY. -- AFTRA Contract signed by the Four Tops for their appearance on Kraft Summer Music Hall, signed April 10, 1968. Paid $2500 for show to be aired August 21, 1968. -- Waiver for late AFTRA filing signed by Diahann Carroll on Dec. 9, 1987. -- Employment contract signed by Ella Fitzgerald on October 31, 1960. -- 1989 NBC contract signed by Lionel Hampton, no compensation for appearance. November 15, 1989. |
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-- American Federation of Musicians contract signed by Bo
Diddley for his appearance in Jacksonville, Orlando, and
Tampa Feb. 20 - March 1, 1970. -- American Federation of Musicians contract signed by Duke Ellington and his Orchestra for appearance in Shrine Auditorium, LA on June 4th, 1960. Headline billing, paid $3000, but paid an extra $1000 if promoter grosses over $10,000. -- Original signed engagement contract for jazz legend Lionel Hampton at Mansfield State College, PA on March 9, 1963 (band was paid $2000 for the gig!). -- KABC radio contract for the Michael Jackson Show, signed by Robert Guillaune, states that "he discussed his career as Benson in Soap and as Benson in his own sit-con, Benson." No compensation for his appearance. November 19, 1979. -- American Federation of Musicians contract signed by Charley Pride for an event at the Ozark Mountain Amphitheatre in Branson, MO. Rider states that he is to receive 100% top billing and that his name is to be spelled correctly (Charley). Paid $20,000 plus 60/40 split over $55,000. Neal McCoy is opening act. June 25, 1988. -- Original 4-Page contract (1935) between the Lindy Hoppers and Samuel Goldwyn. Signing twice are George "Shorty" Snowden, Freddie Lewis, Madeline Lewis, Beatrice Gay, Beatrice Elam and Leroy Jones. They were paid $2500 for a week's service. Research has determined that this document is most probably the contract for the film short, "Ask Uncle Sol". -- Actors Television Motion Picture contract signed by Leslie Uggams for her role as "Amanda Price" in the movie "Hotel -- Discoveries." Paid $10,000. October 13, 1986. -- Standard AFTRA Engagement Contract for Single TV Broadcast signed by Leslie Uggams for her appearance on the Glen Campbell Show. Paid $7500. December 20, 1968. Show aired March 2, 1969. -- American Federation of Musicians contract signed by jazz great, Donald Byrd (Blackbyrd Productions), to appear at the Great American Music Hall, San Francisco. Ticket price, $6, paid $3,000 against the rights to 70% of the gross. July 30, 1979. -- Standard AFTRA Exclusive Agency Contract (1 year) with CNA & Associates, signed by Richard Roundtree (Shaft). June 6, 1989. -- Contract signed by Sarah Vaughn for performing 100% Sole Star Billing at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Cebter, Sarasota, FL. Paid $20,000. Includes stage plot. May 1, 1987. -- Standard AFTRA exclusive agency contract (3 years) with The Artists Agency signed by Ossie Davis. May 4, 1987. -- American Federation of Musicians contract by blues great B.B. King for his appearance at Shea's Buffalo Theater, Buffalo, NY. Paid a flat $7500, with 100% top billing. Signed July 30, 1976. Show was March 19, 1977. Rider, with letter and check receipt included. -- Standard AFTRA Network TV contract for the Harlem Globetrotters TV Special shot at The Forum in LA, signed by Pearl Bailey. Paid $1000. Jan. 28, 1972. -- Agency For The Performing Arts agreement signed by Isaac Hayes for his appearance on the "Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour." July 16, 1973. -- William Morris Agency contract (10%) signed by Pearl Bailey to represent her in relation to the motion picture industry and the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG). March 30, 1945.
--
1971-Standard Aftra Engagement Contract, signed and agreed
to by Pearl Bailey and Roncom Productions. Perry
Como was producer of the Pearl Bailey Show. Pearl Bailey
was paid $7,500 plus $2,500 in expenses for this show. The
contract is dated Jan 28, 1971. Signed in blue ink by
Pearl Bailey, (Pres). Exc. cond. This contract was part of
the archives from the office of Perry Como.
- William Morris contract signed by Earl "Fatha" Hines vintage and dated January 15, 1941. Earl Hines was known as one of the most famous jazz pianist's of the 20th Century and created many standards of today. This vintage signed contract is in excellent condition with a bold autograph of Earl Hines in vintage fountain pen. The contract is also signed by Charles Carpenter sometimes known as Charlie Carpenter who wrote and worked closely with Earl Hines on many songs including the famous song "You Can Count On Me". He has signed under Earl Hines as Witness. The contract is actually signed by two famous Jazz musicians which makes this contract very rare and unique. -- William Morris Agency contract, signed by Earl "Fatha" Hines (10% -- representing him from 10/1943 - 1/1948). Signed 10/12/1943. Signed contracts by Earl Hines are very rare. -- AGVA Standard Form for Artists Engagements Contract, signed by Eartha Kitt (Catwoman) for an appearance in San Bernardino, CA on March 20, 1964. Paid $1500. This contract would've been cancelled if Las Vegas event opened up for her on the same day. -- WPIX "Clay Cole's Diskotek Program" NY appearance signed by the Shirelles, Addie Harris (3/27/1967) -- An historical 33 page recording contract (1983) between Jennifer Holliday and David Geffen. This was at the height of her career...for a six year period. The contract stated seven years, but Jennifer changed it to six years and initialed it in three different places. The contract discusses the number of masters Jennifer must complete and the payment from the Geffen Group. In 1979 Jennifer joined the Broadway show, Dreamgirls on its successful four year run...winning a Tony Award. Dreamgirls was followed by the Broadway show, Mahalia, and a Number One charted hit, And I Am Telling You. Jennifer won multiple Grammys as well as Tony Awards. She had many hits in the 1980s, including five Number One Billboard hits. Jennifer boldly signs on the last page of the contract.
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5.
1829 newspaper from Bermuda - The Royal Gazette
- Bermuda Commercial and General Advertiser and Recorder -
Hamilton, Bermuda: Donald McPhee Lee (first editor) - No. 37
- Vol. 2, dated Tuesday, September 15, 1829 - this
paper was started in 1828 and is still in production at the
present. This genuine historical 4 page newspaper has
typical age toning, foxing and edge wear and is printed on
cotton and rag cloth. An intriguing read as it gives first
hand news and reflections of life at that time in Bermuda
and around the world, such as recently enacted laws, news
(on politics, wars and deaths), poetry and advertising were
published in the daily paper, with descriptive ads for
runaway slaves and the selling of slaves commonplace.
In this issue is an interesting article about the
Abolition of Slavery, "At a meeting held at the
Freemason's Tavern, London, on the 14th July last, for the
purpose of considering the means of protecting from Slavery
the future children born of Negroes in the British Colonies
-- Mr. Olway Cave, in the chair. -- A variety of resolutions
were proposed and assented to, to the effect that Parliament
should be petitioned for the liberation of slaves
born after a certain period in the British Colonies: the
Rev. Mr. Isaacson of Demerara, a clergyman of the Church of
England, in proposing the amendment to the resolution,
"which" he said, "if carried into effect, would shew (sic)
whether the system of free labour was practicable, and
likely to benefit the slaves themselves;" added that "the
whole population of Montserrat and Tortola (6000 in number),
might be purchased for 600,000 Pounds; and it had been
proposed to the Duke of Devonshire to purchase these
islands, in order to try a system of free labour, which, if
it succeeded, might then be extended to other Colonies..."
| 6. Extremely scarce, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African (1837 edition). Captured far from the African coast when he was a boy of 11, Olaudah Equiano (1745 - 1797) was sold into slavery, later acquired his freedom. In 1789 Olaudah wrote his widely-read autobiography. The youngest son of a village leader, Equiano was born among the Ibo people in the kingdom of Benin, along the Niger River. He was "the greatest favorite with [his] mother." His family expected to follow in his father's footsteps and become a chief, an elder, a judge. Slavery was an integral part of the Ibo culture, as it was with many other African peoples. His family owned slaves, but there was also a continual threat of being abducted, of becoming someone else's slave. This is what happened, one day, while Equiano and his sister were at home alone. Two men and a woman captured the children. Several days later Equiano and his sister were separated. Equiano continued to travel farther and farther from home, day after day, month after month, exchanging masters along the way. Equiano's early experiences as a slave were not all disagreeable; some families treated Equiano almost as a part of the family. The kind treatment, however, was about to end. |
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About six or seven
months after being abducted, Equiano was brought to the coast, where
he first encountered a slave ship and white men. As it was for all
slaves, the Middle Passage for Equiano was a long, arduous nightmare.
In his autobiography he describes the inconceivable conditions of the
slaves' hold: the "shrieks of the women," the "groans of the dying,"
the floggings, the wish to commit suicide, how those who somehow
managed to drown themselves were envied. The ship finally arrived at
Barbados, where buyers purchased most of the slaves. There was
no buyer, however, for the young Equiano. Less than two weeks after
his arrival, he was shipped off to the English colony of Virginia,
where he was purchased and put to work. Less than a month later, he
had a new master -- Michael Henry Pascal, a lieutenant in the Royal
Navy. Under this master, who owned Equiano for the next seven years,
Equiano would move to England, educate himself, and travel the world
on ships under Pascal's command. In 1766, Equiano bought his
freedom. He found work in the trade business in the West Indies,
then in London. In 1773, he took part in an expedition to try to
discover the Northwest Passage, a route through the arctic to the
Pacific Ocean. Back in England, Equiano became an active
abolitionist. He lectured against the cruelty of British slave
owners. He spoke out against the English slave trade. He worked to
resettle freed slaves.
In 1787 Equiano helped his
friend, Offohab Cugoano,
to published an account of his
experiences,
Narrative of the Enslavement of a Native of
America.
Copies of his book were sent to George III
and other leading politicians. He failed to persuade the king to
change his opinions and like other members of the royal family
remained against abolition of the slave trade.
By 1789, the year he
published his autobiography, Olaudah Equiano was a well-known
abolitionist.
In 1792 Equiano married Susan Cullen of Ely. The couple had two
children, Anna Maria and Johanna. However, Anna Maria died when she
was only four years old. Olaudah Equiano was appointed to the
expedition to settle former black slaves in Sierra Leone, on
the west coast of Africa. However, he died on 31st March, 1797 before
he could complete the task.
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-- "The Life of William Wilberforce", scarce First Edition book written by Casper Morris, 1857.
-- A Practical View Of
The Prevailing Religious System Of Professed Christians, In
The Higher And Middle Classes, Contrasted With Real
Christianity. Book by William Wilberforce.
Boston: Printed by Manning & Loring, For Ebenezer Larkin.
1799. Second American Edition. Publisher’s full calf
leather over boards, red morocco spine label titled in gilt.
300 pages. Volume measures 7” x 4 ½”. William Wilberforce
was an English philanthropist and anti-slavery crusader, who
was instrumental in winning the abolition of the British
slave trade in 1807. He was also an M. P. for the county
of York and a central figure in the Clapham sect of
Evangelicals. His object here is to demonstrate how
Christianity, as practiced by the English middle and upper
classes, differs from what he considered "true
Christianity". This book put him at the forefront of the
evangelical movement.
-- A Practical View of
the Prevailing Religious System
by William Wilberforce,
1824.
6" x 4" x 1", in fair - poor condition -- yellowing/water
damage/spotting; binding is solid. Slight old book smell.
--
"A
Practical View Of The Prevailing Religious System Of
Professed Christians, In The Higher And Middle Classes,
Contrasted With Real Christianity", by William
Wilberforce (2 copies). Measuring about 3-1/2" x 5-3/4", and 375
pages long, this small hardback book is It is published in
New York by the American Tract Society, and is undated, the
only clue being that it is "from a late London edition." If
I had to guess, I'd say somewhere near the mid-1800s. The
only illustration is a steel engraved frontispiece of the
author. It is bound in boards covered with peacock paper,
and a green leather spine, but I believe this is a
re-binding. The boards do not feel as thick and substantial
as I would have expected them to be.
-- The Life of William Wilberforce (1872 edition) by his son, Samuel Lord Bishop of Winchester, published by John Murray, London. 452 pages, with engraved frontispiece, marbled page edges and endpapers, bound in blue calf with gilt pattern and lettering on the cover and spine. The writing on the front cover reads 'The Gift of the Haberdasher's Company'. This book tells the life story of William Wilberforce and the struggle to abolish the slave trade. Overall, in good condition - the binding is tight and all the pages are fine. However, the cover has been covered with a clear plastic film. Some wear to the leather can be seen underneath, along the edges of the cover and spine, with some discoloration to the back cover. Inside, a small clipping has been stuck onto the back of the flyleaf and opposite, there is an inscription from Newport Grammar School, dated 1894. Otherwise, apart from some slight yellowing to the pages, the text is in excellent condition.
-- The obituary
of William Wilberforce in an intriguing volume of
Gentleman's Magazine (July to December, 1833). This is
the concluding volume of the original series Volume
103. Some of the items in this volume article running over
the months British Empire in India, Saint James Chapel
Croydon (with plate) much on Battles in Portugal between
brothers of the Royal Family, Charing Palace (Kent),
suppression of the slave trade in India, the obituary
of ardent abolitionist and tireless anti-slavery advocate,
William Wilberforce, and the address to the House of
Representatives by President Jackson. 580 pages with 8
engraved plates, bound in half calf, chip to foot of spine,
bound tight.
BACKGROUND: Gentleman's Magazine was founded in 1731,
ceased publication in 1907, founder Edwin Cave who assumed
the pen name of Sylvanus Urban. The first general
interest magazine to be published and the first to use
the term magazine for a periodical journal, published
monthly. Amongst its early contributors was Samuel Johnson
who wrote parliamentary reports under the title "Debates of
the Senate of Magna Lilliputia" during times when
parliamentary reporting was banned. Each month every
conceivable subject was covered plus regular features;
parliamentary reports, foreign and domestic news, monthly
historical chronicle (a monthly diary of current events),
obituaries, marriages, appointments, bills of mortality (all
excellent references for the genealogist with many names),
reports and reviews of law cases, executions, new
publications. Of particular interest was the monthly
section titled London Gazette which was important extracts
from the official government newspaper often consisting of
military and naval dispatches from commanders in the field.
Early copies were bound as 12 months, later as the magazine
grew in size they were bound as 6 monthly sections. Most
months had a variety of engraved plates bound in. History as
it happened written by people who were there, a fascinating
read or a valuable reference work for the historian.
-- October 1, 1790 Literary Magazine & British Review which is 240 pages long. 8" x 5". Some of the subjects are the stock prices, poetry, Abolition of the Slave Trade, Life of G. Buchanan, General Principals of Political Economy and much, much more. William Wilberforce's famous abolition speech, delivered in the House of Commons on Tuesday, May 12, 1789 is the backdrop to the article about the abolition of the slave trade. In the article on the Abolition of the Slave Trade, the writer states, "At a time when Parliament are agitating the question of the slave trade, it is natural, as well as proper, to enquire into its nature and effect. The project for its destruction reflects an honour on the English, and affords a fresh proof to the world of humanity which has been deemed their characteristic. That a scheme like this should have met with impediments, might have been readily expected, as it concerns a commerce-sanctioned by long usage and supported by strong and powerful interest. I think, however, I can foretell, without prophetic inspiration, that opposition will prove fruitless, and will serve to only complete the triumph..."
-- Rare book entitled "An Abstract of the Evidence Delivered Before a Select Committee of the House of Commons in the Years 1790 and 1791, on the Part of the Petitioners for the Abolition of the Slave Trade". The title on the front cover reads: "Evidence on the Slave Trade". This book was published by the American Reform Tract and Book Society (1855) and has 117 pages. The book is about the evils of slavery and of the slave trade. There are a list of witnesses who give accounts of the capture of people in Africa and the ensuing enslavement. The book makes a case against slavery. It is truly a collector's item.
-- Rare engraving of William Pitt published by the London Printing and Publishing Company (1840). Pitt was quite simply one of the most extraordinary politicians in history. For anyone to become Prime Minister at the age of 24 is amazing in itself, but to then go on to become one of the most dominant and long serving of British history puts him in a class of his own. Most disappointing was that his enfeebled physical and political state in his final years meant that he did not ram home his earlier pioneering efforts to abolish the slave trade, something which was secured only the year after his death. Pitt’s great friend William Wilberforce, led the campaign to abolish the slave trade (1833) and then to abolish slavery (1834) in the British Empire as well.
-- Rare edition of book (1787) written by ex-slave trader, John
Newton (Rector of St. Mary, Woolnoth, London) --
Letters and Sermons With a Review of Ecclesiastical History
and Hymns. This is Volume III of six volumes. Gives
an interior view of Newton's thoughts and ideals on various
spiritual topics. This collection also has several volumes
of the 1824 edition of the series.
-- John Newton's book (very rare 1795 edition,
First Edition was 1764) "An
Authentic Narrative of some remarkable and interesting
particulars in the Life of John Newton." Communicated in
a Series of Letters to the Rev. Mr. Haweis, Rector of
Aldwinckle, Northamptonshire by Newton, John
(1725-1807). Printed in Philadelphia by William Young. The
book contains fourteen letters, which covers many topics --
"Voyage to Madeira, Entry on Board a Guineaman,
Voyage to Africa, Voyage from Cape Lopez
to England, Danger in the Voyage from Cape Lopez, Voyage
to Antigua, Last Voyage to Africa, etc.. Newton was a
minister in the Church of England and is best remembered as
having written
the hymn Amazing Grace.
103
pp.; old leather binding in good+ condition. Contents with
foxing, yellowing but still very readable; 2 worm holes at
top page edge, not affecting text.
-- Somewhat rare complete set of "The Works of John Newton: The Late Rector of St. Mary Woolnoth and St. Mary Woolchurch Haw, London, With Memoirs of the Author and General Remarks on His Life, Connections, and Character." By the Rev. Richard Cecil, M.A. (Third Edition in Six Volumes). London, MCDCCCXXIV (1824). In the sixth volume there is a very rare 25-page section entitled, "Thoughts Upon the African Slave Trade." Condition: The body and blocks of all the volumes are holding fine. There is foxing throughout due to age. Rubbing to spine, and splitting of outer cloth and around spine, chipping, etc. Most of the pages are white and crisp, simply hurting a bit cosmetically. All binding holding fine.
--
Scarce 1855 edition
of "The Life of John Newton" Written for
Young Children, no author, published by Carlton & Phillips
for the Sunday School Union, NY. 92 pages, with 4 pages of
advertisements for publications by the Sunday School Union
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Corners worn, wear to
covers, piece torn out of flyleaf. Slight give to
binding. Overall in good shape.
Contents: I. A dream
and the dreamer II. The ship of war III. Fresh troubles IV.
Deliverance V. Dangers and preservations VI. Conviction VII.
Happier prospects of life VIII. The sea-captain IX. Another
change in life X. The sailor becomes a minister.
Hymns and Poems: a. The kite b. A thought on the
seashore c. Written at Cowslip d. A friend e. The two
debtors f. The Bible g. Trust in Christ h. Saturday Evening
-- Extremely hard-to-find 1814 edition of "Letters To A Wife" by John Newton. Includes letters sent to his wife from 1750 through 1785. Many of these letters were sent from Africa. John Newton was a hymn writer who composed the lyrics of "Amazing Grace." Published by Whitehall in Philadelphia. There is an appendix in the book about his wife's illness. Bound into the back of the book in a different type face is a separate thirty-one page publication entitled "A Monument To The Praise of the Lord's Goodness, And to the Memory of Dear Eliza Cunningham."
-- The Minor Poems of the Inner Temple, by William Cowper. Published, 1818 in London for John Sharpe -- 7" x 4", 108 pages. This book includes one of his more famous poems, "The Negro's Complaint", along with an engraved image. This fine volume also includes, "Sonnet to William Wilberforce, Esq.", "To the Rev. Mr. Newton", and "Pity For Poor Africans." Nice gilt tooled full calf leather bound copy with many engraved plates. William Cowper (pronounced Cooper) (November 26, 1731 – April 25, 1800) was an English poet and hymnodist. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scenes of the English countryside. He suffered from periods of severe depression, and although he found refuge in a fervent evangelical Christianity, the source of his much-loved hymns, he often experienced doubt and fears that he was doomed to eternal damnation. However, his religious motivations and association with John Newton (who wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace") led to much of the poetry for which he is best remembered in the popular mind.
-- Rare 1835 engraving of abolitionists William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson (8.5 x 5.5) -- together in one etching, just one year after the Slave Trade had been officially abolished in England.
-- Very scarce wall plaque measuring 5 ¾ " X 8 ¾ ". The front reads:- William Wilberforce 1759 – 1833 M P For Kingston Upon Hull and Yorkshire, Emancipator. Abolition of Slavery Act 1833. The back of the plaque has the Eastgate Pottery Withernsea stamp. Made in England. We contacted Eastgate Potteries in Withernsea, UK for more information. The Director, John D. Worsdale responded with this note, "This was one of a limited number of plaques manufactured in the 1970's, as a special commission for William Wilberforce House. There were only 50 plaques made. I have never seen one for sale, therefore I cannot give you an estimate on value...It is extremely rare."
-- Thomas
Clarkson. A Portraiture of Quakerism. Taken From a View
of the Education and Discipline, Social Manners, Civil and
Political Economy, Religious Principles, and Character of
the Society of Friends. First Edition. New York: Samuel Stansbury,
1806. 3 volumes, 12 mo, 363, 382, and 372 pages. Edge worn,
leather covers, foxed and browned paper, owner names
handwritten in volume I (Ann Allen, Francis R. Taylor), a
decorative gilt stamp of Ann H. Allen’s name is in the other
two volumes. "While working for the abolition of
slavery, the author encountered many Quakers and
was impressed by their moral history. Thomas Clarkson
wrote, “I felt also a great desire...to do them justice; for
ignorance and prejudice had invented many expressions
concerning them, to the detriment of their character, when
their conduct never gave me reason to suppose, during all my
intercourse with them to be true.” These three volumes form
a sympathetic history of the Quakers written by a
non-Quaker, with a focus on their moral character,
discipline, beliefs, peculiar customs, and moral education."
-- Thomas Clarkson's 1808 First Edition of, The
History of the Rise, Progress, and Accomplishment of The
Abolition of the African Slave trade by the British
Parliament. -- Clarkson starts out by saying, "No
subject more pleasing that that of the removal of evils --
Evils have existed almost from the beginning of the world --
but there is a power in our nature to counteract them --
this power increased by Christianity -- of the evils removed
by Christianity one of the greatest is the Slave Trade --
The joy we ought to feel on its abolition from a
contemplation of the nature of it -- and of the extent of it
-- and of the difficulty of subduing it -- Usefulness also
of the contemplation of this subject."
-- First Edition (1854) "Life Of Thomas Clarkson" by James Elmes. Thomas Clarkson (1760 – 1846), abolitionist, was born at Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, England, and became a leading campaigner against the slave trade in the British Empire. This book details his contributions toward the abolition of the Slave-Trade and Slavery. Published by Blackader & Co., London. Hardbound in tan waxed cloth. It is an important piece of social history pertaining to this turbulent period in both British and American History. Author, James Elmes (1782 – 1862) was an English architect, civil engineer, and writer on the arts, he was born in London.
-- Thomas Clarkson's book, "The History of the Rise, Progress, and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave-Trade by the British Parliament" -- 1836 edition written under the supervision of New York University, 276 pages. Published by John S. Taylor, corner of Park-Row and Nassau-Street, Opposite the City Hall. This is the first of a 3 volume set. "The Cabinet of Freedom" under the supervision of the Hon. William Ray Rev. Prof. Bush of the University of New York, and Gerrit Smith, Esq. There is an engraving of a slave in chains and above the picture are the words "Am I Not a Man and a Brother?" The size is 7 1/2" X 5". The book talks about how the slaves were treated on board the slave ships.
-- James
Montgomery-- The Abolition of the Slave Trade: A Poem
in Four Parts. Very hard to find. 1814, folio size, 10" x 12.5", with many
engravings.
London: Printed by T. Bensley.
The poem "The
West Indies," was written to accompany a series of
pictures published as a memorial of the abolition of the
slave-trade. In this genial labour, to which the poet
says he gave his whole mind, as affording him an opportunity
of exposing the iniquities of slavery and the slave-trade.
Importance:
In 1807 a
commission was delivered from the printer Bowyer to write a
poem on the abolition of the slave trade, to be published
along with other poems on the subject in a handsome
illustrated volume. The subject was well adapted to
Montgomery's powers, appealing at once to the philanthropic
enthusiasm in which his strength lay, and to his own
touching associations with the West Indies. Its poem
entitled 'The West Indies' accordingly appeared in Bowyer's
illustrated publication in 1809. Although rather rhetoric
than poetry, is in general well conceived and well
expressed, and skilful as well as sincere in its appeals to
public sentiment. On its first appearance in Bowyer's volume
it proved a failure, but when published separately (London,
1810, 12mo) it obtained great popularity.
James Montgomery:
Born November 4, 1771, in Ayrshire, Scotland, James
Montgomery was brought up and educated by Moravians near
Leeds after his parents left for America, never to return.
He became an editorial assistant to the Sheffield Register
in 1792. Acquiring the newspaper himself, he renamed it the
Isis and in it advocated reformist causes at an unpopular
time, during the French Revolution, and went to jail for his
trouble twice in 1795-96. He returned to his journalism then
and published a book of poems about his imprisonment. This
led to an avocation in poetry and letters. He brought out
volumes of poems and hymns from 1797 until the
mid-19th-century. After 25 years in the news business,
Montgomery retired from journalism and lived on a Literary
Fund pension until his death on April 30, 1854. Throughout
his life he actively worked for humanitarian causes and
gained the respect and affection of his fellow poets.
--
An intriguing hand written
letter (dated March 12, 1792) from Banff, Scotland, written
by George Robinson,
sent to Cam Haliburton, Esq. Edinburgh.
In the letter Robinson states there is a petition to
abolish the slave trade in Scotland......"Sir:
I trust that your sentiments will hopefully accord with mine
on the subject of the African slave trade. I have taken the
liberty to write you this to inform you that I had the honor
to transmit to my worthy friend Mr. Alex Brodie,
Member for this district of Burroughs, a petition by
appointment from the Magistrates of Council of this Burgh,
petitions for the xxxxxxxxxxxx inhabitants of this place
xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx to Mr. Brodie, a petition from Free
Persons of this County and one from the Presbyterian
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx were sent to Sir James xxxxxxxx, Member for
this County for abolishing the Slave Trade. I mention this
in case you should think it proper to inscribe it in any of
your Edinburgh papers. I am very so hopefully, Sir. Your
most obedient servant, George Robinson" (There were some
key words that are illegible, or were part of the paper that
had been torn when opened in 1792.)
-- HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
OF LETTER: William Dickson, a former
secretary to the Governor of Barbados
(Hon. Edward Hay) and the author of 'Letters
on Slavery' (1789), was engaged by the London
Anti-Slavery Society to gain support for the abolition
movement in Scotland. William Dickson has a diary of a visit
to Scotland from January 5th - March 19th, 1792 on behalf of the
Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. It is
probable that the writer of this letter had personal contact
with William Dickson, who originally came from Moffat,
Scotland.
Let's get a sense of Dickson's
feelings about the Slave Trade -- In an 1787 letter to
Thomas Clarkson, Dickson states, "Of
the Africans, above one fourth perished on the voyage to the
West Indies, and four and a half percent more died on
average in the fortnight intervening between the days of
entry and sale. To close this awful triumph of the King of
terrors, about two in five of all whom the planters bought
were lost in seasoning within the first three years and
before they could be said to have yielded any productive
labour. Now if seven years be the average labouring period
of bought slaves, a lot of five should yield thirty five
years of labour; and two of them having died, each of the
other three must yield nearly twelve years or with the three
years of seasoning, nearly fifteen years. But to look for
fifteen years of even blank existence, without labour, from
each of the survivors of a worse than pestilential
mortality, heartless and enfeebled as they must generally
be, would be madly romantic."
One scholar states that
Dickson "one of the most useful and intelligent observers on
the institution of slavery in Barbadoes .. he makes many
shrewd sociological assessments of the working of the slave
system ... an important book for the study of Barbadoes
social history." Dickson was an enlightened man of his day,
who argued for an end to the slave trade and gradual, but
not immediate, emancipation.
-- An extremely rare 1794
edition of "The Journal of John Woolman",
printed in Dublin. It is the first edition printed after his
death. 464 pages, leather-bound. Woolman is said to be the
very first abolitionist in America.
BACKGROUND: John Woolman (October 19, 1720 – October
7, 1772) was an itinerant Quaker preacher, traveling
throughout the American colonies, advocating against
conscription, military taxation, and particularly slavery.
John Woolman came from a family of Friends (Quakers). His
grandfather, also named John Woolman, was one of the early
settlers of New Jersey. His father Samuel Woolman was a
farmer. Their estate was between Burlington and Mount Holly
Township in that state. At age 23 his employer asked him to
write a bill of sale for a slave. He told his employer that
he thought that slave keeping was inconsistent with the
Christian religion. Many Friends believed that slavery
was bad — even a sin — but there was not a universal
condemnation of it among Friends. Some Friends bought slaves
from other people in order to treat them humanely and
educate them. Other Friends seemed to have no conviction
against slavery whatsoever. Woolman took up a concern to
minister to Friends and others in remote places. He went on
his first ministry trip in 1746 with Isaac Andrews. They
went about 1,500 miles round-trip in three months, going as
far south as North Carolina. He preached on many topics,
including slavery during this and other such trips. In 1754
Woolman wrote Some Considerations on the Keeping of Negroes.
He refused to draw up wills transferring slaves. Working on
a nonconfrontational, personal level, he individually
convinced many Quaker slaveholders to free their slaves. He
attempted personally to avoid using the products of slavery;
for example, he wore undyed clothing because slaves were
used in the making of dyes. Whenever he received hospitality
from a slaveholder, he insisted on paying the slaves for
their work in attending him. Woolman worked within the
Friends traditions of seeking the guidance of the Spirit of
Christ and patiently waiting to achieve unity in the Spirit.
He went from one Friends meeting to another and expressed
his concern about slaveholding. One by one the various
meetings began to see the evils of slavery and wrote minutes
condemning it. In his lifetime, Woolman did not succeed in
eradicating slavery even within the Society of Friends in
the United States; however, his personal efforts changed
Quaker viewpoints. In 1790 the Society of Friends petitioned
the United States Congress for the abolition of slavery. The
fair treatment of people of all races is now part of the
Friends Testimony of Equality. The Journal of John Woolman
is considered to be an important spiritual document.
-- Extracts from The Minutes of the Yearly Meeting Of Friends (Quakers) held in Philadelphia 1856. Philadelphia: T. Ellwood Chapman No. 1 South Fifth Street, 1856. 24 pages with front and back cover. Includes following Meetings: Philadelphia; Abington; Bucks; Concord; Caln; Western; Southern; Burlington; Haddonfield; Salem; Fishing Creek. T. Ellwood Chapman was an important publisher of Quaker and Anti-Slavery tracts in the 1850s and 1860s.
-- "William Lloyd Garrison: The Story of His Life", 1st Edition books (I&II), 1885, by his children.
--
Autographed letter (8” x 9 ¾”) signed, front and back, March
7, 1870, from Wendell Phillips to Rev. Francis Hodgson.
“…Hearing that our change of my lecture to the Last Acts,
has been objected to and some fault found with yourself…I
desire to say…that the fault, if any, belongs entirely to
me….”
Background: Wendell Phillips (1811-1884) was a
prominent abolitionist. A wealthy graduate of Harvard Law
School, Phillips sacrificed social status and a prospective
political career in order to join the antislavery movement.
His reputation as an inspirational orator was established
with his address at an abolitionist meeting in 1837 to
protest the murder of Elijah Lovejoy. He became an associate
of William Lloyd Garrison and lectured widely at meetings of
the American Anti-Slavery Society, serving as its president
from 1865 to 1870. He also advocated prohibition, woman
suffrage, prison reform, regulation of corporations, and
labour reform.
8. Steel/wood engravings, etchings, handwritten/signed
letters, books, and/or CDVs (many with
facsimile or genuine signatures) of anti-slavery abolitionists, like John Jay,
Henry Thornton (relative of William Wilberforce), Isaac Hopper (founded the Underground Railroad), Charles Dickens, John
Greenleaf Whittier, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Daniel Webster, Ben Franklin, William Wadsworth Longfellow,
William Henry Seward, William
Wilberforce, Granville Sharp, Isaac Hopper, Thomas Clarkson,
Salmon P. Chase, Henry Wilson, Alphonse de Lamartine, Horace Greeley, John Andrews,
Schuyler Colfax, Edwin Stanton, Philip Sheridan, William T.
Sherman, Ulysses Grant, Cassius Clay, Hannah Moore, Owen Lovejoy, Gerrit
Smith, Joshua Giddings, John Quincy Adams, Benjamin Lundy,
Oliver Howard, William Buckingham, James Montgomery, David G. Farragut,
Thaddeus Stevens, Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, Zachary Macauley,
Joseph Sturge, Wendell Phillips, Harriet Beecher Stowe,
William Cowper, Charles Fox, William Cullen Bryant, Fanny (Frances) Kemble, William
Forster, William Pitt, Frederick Douglass,
William Lloyd Garrison, William Henry Brisbane, Edmund Quincy, Henry Ward
Beecher, Martin Delany, Charles Sumner, Elihu Burritt, Henry Wilson, Lord
Brougham, James Russell Lowell, William Smith and many others...
9. "The Internal Administration of The Imperial
Guard 1945 E.C."280 pages. This very rare book is hand
stamped by the Imperial Guard and contains the rules,
regulations, and forms of the Imperial Guard of His Majesty
Haile Selassie I. This book contains a nice photo of
Haile Selassie I, many fold out forms and lists showing the
many regulations of the Imperial Guard. Intriguing.
-- World Tour Book of His Majesty Haile Selassie's visit
to America in 1954 (mint condition), published by
Ethiopian Government.
10. League of Nations: Committee Reports on the Question of Slavery. 18 different reports dating from 1923-1930 -- 2 are in French, the rest in English that deal with the question of slavery, including slavery conventions. The reports are 8" x 14' tall. There is one report: 'Communication with the Government of Liberia' (1930) that is a bound booklet of 128 pp. The rest of the booklets are 1pp-20pp each. Includes: Communication with the Government of Sudan, Annual Reports, Communication with the Government of Liberia.
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11. Handwritten letter signed by author of Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas, along with a First Edition set of his major works. Alexandre Dumas was born in Villes-Cotterêts. BACKGROUND: His grandfather was a French nobleman, who had settled in Santo Domingo (now part of Haiti); his paternal grandmother, Marie-Cessette, was an Afro-Caribbean, who had been a black slave in the French colony (now part of Haiti). Dumas did not generally define himself as a black man and there is not much evidence that he encountered overt racism during his life. However, his works were popular among the 19th-century African-Americans, partly because in The Count of Monte-Cristo, the falsely imprisoned Edmond Dantès, may be read as a parable of emancipation. In a shorter work, Georges (1843, George), Dumas examined the question of race and colonialism. The main character, a half-French mulatto, leaves Mauritius to be educated in France, and returns to avenge himself for the affronts he had suffered as a boy -- order postcard of Dumas -- December 15th, 1870 issue of New York Herald, "Death of Alexandre Dumas". |
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12.
Abridgement of the Debates of Congress
from 1789 to 1856 from Gales and Seaton's Annals of
Congress; from Their Register of Debates; and from the
Official Reported Debates. By John C. Rives - Vol XII covers
the debates of the 22nd Congress, 1832-1836. New
York: D. Appleton, 1860. Assumed First.
There are several entries on
slavery – many, many pages on the slavery issues in DC. Also
anti-slavery incendiary publications, slavery in Arkansas, slavery memorials,
abolition of slavery, etc..
8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Full-Leather.
-- The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States; with an appendix, containing important state papers and public documents, and all the laws of a public nature; with a copious index. Volume II, comprising (with volume 1) the period from March 3, 1789, to March 3, 1791, inclusive. Compiled from authentic materials, by Joseph Gales, Senior. Washington: Gales and Seaton, 1834. Volume 2 only which covers February 18, 1790 to March 3, 1791. Also includes the 188 page appendix w/ "reports and other documents". In late 18th/ early 19th century period full leather binding. -- Supreme Court Reports (1801 - 1882) -- a collection of 98 books of US Supreme Court Reports. They were published in 1903 by the Banks Law Publishing Company. They cover Supreme Court case law from 1801 to 1882. Imagine what has been stated about the Missouri Compromise, the Dred Scott Decision and others relating to the Black experience in America. Important tool in the hands of researchers. Very important and scarce volumes -- that's 98 volumes!
--
Congressional Globe 1858 debates proceeding US congress.
The Congressional Globe: Containing the Debates and
Proceedings of the Second Session of the Thirty-Fifth
Congress: Also, of the Special Session of the Senate. by
John C. Rives. Washington: John C. Rives, 1859. Mid-19th
century period 1/2 leather binding. Smooth spine in five
gilt-ruled compartments w/ gilt title and date. Blue marbled
paper covered boards w/ leather board corners. Binding tight
and sound. 1000s of pages of information on the proceedings
of Congress. Index for both the US Senate and the US House
of Representatives. This covers Dec. 10, 1858 through
Feb. 14, 1859. Includes much on the Native
Americans and the Slavery Trade bill. VG+ near
fine condition, very little wear. Measures 9" x 12." 1040
pp. -- 1854 Congressional Report -- African Slave Trade -- Brazil. 33d Congress, 1st Session - Senate - Ex Doc. No. 47. 14 pages. Titled "Message From The President of the United States, Communicating, In compliance with a resolution of the Senate, the correspondence between Mr. Schenck, United States Minister to Brazil, and the Secretary of State, in relation to the African slave trade." -- Abraham Lincoln signed 25 copies of the Emancipation Proclamation. In this collection are two copies of the Emancipation Proclamation directly from one of the originals signed by Lincoln in 1863.
-- Rare Abraham Lincoln
Campaign first edition book printed during Lincoln's
presidential campaign of 1860. POLITICAL DEBATES BETWEEN
HON. ABRAHAM LINCOLN and HON. STEPHEN A.
DOUGLAS In the
Celebrated Campaign of 1858, in Illinois; INCLUDING
THE PRECEDING SPEECHES OF EACH, AT CHICAGO, SPRINGFIELD,
ETC: ALSO, THE TWO GREAT SPEECHES OF MR. LINCOLN IN OHIO, IN
1859, AS CAREFULLY PREPARED BY THE REPORTERS OF EACH PART,
AND PUBLISHED AT THE TIMES OF THEIR DELIVERY. COLUMBUS:
FOLLETT, FOSTER AND COMPANY, 1860.
-- "The Emancipation", January 24, 1863 Harper's Weekly. Famous double page engraving by Thomas Nast, the subject of which is Emancipation. Measures 22" x 15 1/2". Condition is very good. -- 1860 Congressional Report Civil War, 835 pages. A lot of discussion about slavery-related issues.
-- Rare Senate report (March
8, 1860) stating that 7 families are asking for
compensation for slaves taken and carried away by the
British during the War of 1812.
-- Reports of the Committee on the Conduct of the War: "Fort Pillow Massacre" and also a report titled "Returned Prisoners", no date of publication, but probably May, 1864 just after the reports were made public. Graphic Eyewitness testimony and question and answer sessions. Four prints of prisoners. In April 1864, the Union garrison at Fort Pillow, a Confederate-built earthen fortification and a Union-built inner redoubt, overlooking the Mississippi River about forty river miles above Memphis, under the command of Maj. Lionel F. Booth. Confederate Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest attacked the fort on April 12 with a cavalry division of approximately 2,500 men. Approximately 300 African American troops were massacred here. Up to that time comparatively few of our men had been killed; but immediately upon occupying the place the rebels commenced an indiscriminate butchery of the whites and blacks, including the wounded. Both white and black were bayoneted, shot, or sabred; even dead bodies were horribly mutilated, and children of seven and eight years, and several negro women killed in cold blood. Soldiers unable to speak from wounds were shot dead, and their bodies rolled down the banks into the river. The dead and wounded negroes were piled in heaps and burned, and several citizens, who had joined our forces for protection, were killed or wounded. Out of the garrison of six hundred only two hundred remained alive. Three hundred of those massacred were negroes; five were buried alive. Casualties were high and only sixty-two of the U.S. Colored Troops survived the fight. Many accused the Confederates of perpetrating a massacre of the black troops, and that controversy continues today. The Confederates evacuated Fort Pillow that evening so they gained little from the attack except to temporarily disrupt Union operations. The Fort Pillow Massacre became a Union rallying cry and cemented resolve to see the war through to its conclusion. The massacre at Fort Pillow had raised the question in every mind, does the United States mean to allow its soldiers to be butchered in cold blood?
-- Remarkably rare Journal
of the Senate of the Commonwealth of Virginia: Begun and
Held in the City of Richmond, 1859-1860 (1500 pages!!!).
James E. Goode, Senate Printer. This is an enormous volume
that includes hundreds of documents including Governor
Reports and other state reports, featuring reports from the
Generals dealing with the John Brown/Harper’s Ferry
situation, information on slavery and many other important
documents. Here are some examples:
-- REPORT OF THE JOINT
COMMITTEE ON THE CONDUCT OF THE WAR. IN THREE PARTS.
Washington: Government Printing Office. 1863. 37th
Congress, 3rd Session. Rep. Com. No. 108. Part
III—Department of the West. As the Civil War entered its
third year, a feeling arose throughout the country that the
Union armies had failed to measure up to their Confederate
opponents in organization, not to mention results—a feeling
highly reinforced when General Ambrose Burnside so
bungled the battle of Fredericksburg that his removal
inevitably followed, leaving his only legacy the word
“sideburns,” of which Ambrose had a marvelously showy pair.
Congress decided to investigate matters, and the
three-volume report that appeared in the spring of 1863
related in long detail what had made the situation so dicey
in all the theaters of war. This third volume deals with the
Department of the West, an area of extreme importance (of
course, they all were) because the state of Missouri was
closely divided between northern and southern loyalties, and
keeping it in the Union was essential, if only to maintain
control over the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.
Unfortunately, the political general John Charles Frémont,
the Republican party’s first presidential candidate, had his
own ideas about what to do that brooked little interference
from his superiors in Washington, Abraham Lincoln in
particular. Eventually Frémont had to go, but initially his
fame, his well-proclaimed love of the Union, and his
interest in eliminating slavery made him too well fixed to
oust, even though this last-mentioned attitude risked losing
the affections of Union-loyal Missourians, who saw in him a
dangerous abolitionist. Basically, the investigatory
committee was dominated by hard-line anti-slavery figures,
who suspected that Lincoln and his administration were
dangerously soft on the slavery question; for their
part, as Lincoln well knew from his boyhood in Kentucky and
Indiana, this issue had the potential to divide the Union,
and he had to move slowly to let public opinion crystallize
in favor of abolishing slavery entirely. In its 659
pages, this volume presents the record of testimony taken by
the investigatory committee from military and other figures
that deals with the military situation in in 1861 and 1862,
not only in Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and neighboring
territories, but also, and in contradiction of its title,
with matters in Virginia and neighboring states (this
material presumably should have gone into the first two
volumes, but they were already complete). Of this material
from the eastern theater of war, much refers to the debacle
of the second battle of Bull Run, apparently so rich in such
stories that more remained to be told after the primary
treatment in earlier volumes. A typical quotation appears
(p. 654) in the testimony of a Colonel McLean: “I have seen
privileges granted to secessionists that I think they
ought not to enjoy . . . Secessionists were inviting out the
rebel prisoners to their residences, and entertaining them
at dinners.” This volume measures 6 by 9 inches and is 1 ¼
inches thick, bound in leather boards, with brown tape now
covering the spine and extending onto those boards, which
are in good shape except at their edges and corners, which
are damaged. The book’s binding is holding firmly, and the
pages remain clean and supple, though some of them are quite
noticeably browned. Those who want to study how the early
years of the Civil War unfolded, as presented by
Congress in this investigation, will find this book
chock-full of variegated information.
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13. Genuine "Track & Field" ticket stubs and ticket
books from the 4 days Jesse Owens won the four gold
medals (1936 Olympics in Hitler's Germany), in the actual
arena at the four events where Jesse Owens won his four Gold
medals...including Opening Day and Closing Day Ceremony tickets.
It is exciting to know that the person holding these tickets
actually saw Jesse win the following: 1st Gold = Aug 3rd (100m) 2nd
Gold = Aug 4th (long jump) 3rd Gold = Aug
5th (200m) 4th Gold = Aug 9th (4x100m)
--
order postcard of Jesse Owens
-- A ticket book containing all nine tickets for
the 1936 Track and Field events (August 1-9), still attached...with two tickets
unused. Mint. The photo
is of Jesse receiving gold medal for the Long Jump --> |
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14.
A
tin that, to put it mildly, is of great historical
significance. It is Madame CJ Walker's Glossine with
the statement on the front, "For Beatifying and Softening
Kinky Hair." Madame CJ Walker was an early industrial
pioneer around the time of other industrial titans such as
Carnegie and Rockefeller. She became, as some say, the first African
American millionaire in the United States. This is open
to debate once people discover that Annie Malone (below)
actually taught Madam Walker. She did so
simply by inventing a line of cosmetics specifically for
Black people. She capitalized on an untapped market at the
time and the rest is history. This is a rare tin to find.
The condition is excellent, measuring 2 inches across. |
| -- 1926 First Edition copy of Poro College in Pictures. -- a short history of its development. The many images of the college are absolutely stunning, costing over a half a million dollars to construct! The Founder and President of Poro College was none other than Annie Malone. Annie was the founder of hair care product line for African Americans; developed business into the Poro System, a network of franchised agent-operators who operated salons under Malone's guidelines using Poro products. She founded Poro College, 1917, in St. Louis, MO, the first school for the training of beauty culture specialists for African American clientele. She manufactured a line of beauty products for black women and created a unique distribution system that helped tens of thousands of black women gain self respect and economic independence. The college trained women as agents for Poro products and by 1926 claimed to have graduated some 75,000 agents located throughout the world including the Caribbean. However, her contributions to African American culture are often overlooked because her business empire collapsed from mismanagement. One of her students, Madame C.J. Walker, later created a similar enterprise and is largely credited with originating the black beauty business, a feat that rightly belongs to Malone. |
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-- BACKGROUND: Annie Turnbo Malone (1869-1957) was one of the richest African American women in the United States at one time just a generation after slavery had ended in the country. During the 1920s, Malone was reported to have been worth fourteen million dollars. Founder of an extremely successful line of hair-care products, Malone exhibited both a sharp mind for marketing as well as an overly generous cash disbursement policy. As her business grew increasingly prosperous, Malone neglected to keep a tight rein on in-house finances, while at the same time bestowing large sums of money to worthy charitable organizations; such policies eventually spelled the end of her large enterprise. Malone's dramatic rise in the hair-care field has often been overshadowed by that of one of her former employees, Madame C. J. Walker, but it was Malone, historians assert, who developed the first successful formulas and marketing strategies aimed at straightening African American hair without damaging it.
-- Madame C.J. Walker: Almost-impossible--to-find Hair Glossine (unused sample tin, with product untouched) and Superfine Face Powder (actual unused and untouched product) in mint condition and a tin of Hair & Scalp Preparation (excellent condition, with a little bit left in the bottom of the tin) from Madam Walker's cosmetic business (early 1900s). These are a very scarce vintage items, especially with the still-unused product intact!!! Born Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867 on a Delta, Louisiana plantation, this daughter of former slaves transformed herself from an uneducated farm laborer and laundress into the twentieth century's most successful, self-made women entrepreneur millionairess.
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-- The collection owns
seven
(7) Madam Walker tins of hair care products. |
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--
The Black Dispatch
(Oklahoma City
African American newspaper),
March 30, 1919,
with large lettering near the top of the front page:"Madam
C.J.Walker At Rest."
The sub-headline on the front page reads: "Madam
Walker Dies."
-- Five tins of "Sweet Georgia Brown" Hair Dressing Pomade,
1930s.
-- An empty one gallon can of Posner's
Shampoo Oil
(Cleansing Hair and Scalp without Water).
-- Rare tin of
La Jean Pressing Oil
Compound.
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15. First Edition copy (1852) of the British "Uncle
Tom's Cabin", written by Harriet Beecher Stowe,
published by John Cassell before the US edition, illustrated
by George Cruikshank with 27 woodcuts. -- Another First Edition copy of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" published in UK (1852) by Clarke & Co. with 50 splendid engravings! (In contrast, the US First Edition only had 6 engravings.) -- First Edition, "Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp", Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1856 (2 sets) -- First Edition, "Men of Our Times", by Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1868 (2 copies). -- Vintage 1895 stereoview of Uncle Tom and Eva.
16. Scarce First Edition copy of Stowe's "A Key
To Uncle Tom's Cabin", published in London (1853).
It contains 595 pages of the original facts, documents, and
corroborative statements upon which the story "Uncle
Tom's Cabin" is founded. |
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17. National Bank of Boston check from Ticknor and Fields
(owners of Atlantic Monthly) to Harriet Beecher Stowe
(signed Nov. 17, 1863) most probably as payment ($100) for
her compelling Atlantic Monthly article (April, 1863), "Sojourner
Truth, The Libyan Sibyl". -- Two copies of the 1863 Atlantic Monthly article about Sojourner Truth written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This is most probably the article associated with the check --> -- The Atlantic Monthly, a magazine of Literature and Politics. VOL. XI. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 135, Washington Street. London: Trubner and Company. MDCCCLXIII, 1863. 1st Edition. 788 pages. Articles include: Sojourner Truth, the Libyan Sibyl, Benjamin Banneker The Negro Astronomer, and Slavery and Secession in America. |
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-- Two
original broadsides (posters) for Parsons & Pool's
presentation of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Printed on a very
thin newsprint, it measures 9 5/16" X 24" and is a light
lilac color. A staple
of the post-Civil War theatre were numerous traveling
companies presenting dramatic versions of Harriet Beecher
Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. Known as "Tom Shows"
they often featured spectacular effects, notably the death
of Little Eva (with the child sometimes hoisted
bodily Heavenward with ropes and pulleys) and the pursuit of
Eliza and her baby across the ice of the frozen Ohio River.
This broadside was probably intended for display outside a
theatre; it features a scene of Eva and Uncle Tom outside
his cabin, with Eva's luxurious home in the background.
Poster reads: COMING SOON! PARSONS & POOL'S ORIGINAL
UNCLE TOM'S CABIN AND TENNESSEE JUBILEE SINGERS THE
ONLY COMPANY on the road to-day presenting the old-time
manuscript version of UNCLE TOM'S CABIN. WAIT FOR US, WATCH
FOR US As we will positively appear in your city
soon. Watch for Day & Date. -- Printed by Whatcheer
Print, Providence, R.I. Research indicates the date of
production to be around 1880. The ink coverage is good. The
condition is very good, considering it's around 125 years
old and on such delicate, fragile stock.
-- Vintage mid-19th Century sheet music (1860s) with an
illustrated Black Americana lithograph cover entitled, "The
Carolina Song" (Dulcimer's Song) by Stephen
Glover (b.1813 -d.1870) from the 1856 play "Dred" (adapted
for the stage by H.J. Conway based on the 1856 novel "Dred:
A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp" by Harriet Beecher
Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin.
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18.
Original 1883 antique engraving (Edmond Ramus) of the "Four Negro
Heads" by Flemish painter, Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). Handmade
laid paper, watermarked -- Arches. This folio etching with crisp lines
and strong plate impression was produced by J. Rouam and Remington and
Co. in Paris and London, jointly. Unlike most antique prints of this
vintage, the Rouam and Remington etchings were produced in extremely
low numbers and are incredibly hard to find, especially in such
pristine condition. (View at top of page). <-- This particular image was chosen to be on the verso side of a 500 franc note with King Leopold II on the front, issued by the National Bank of Belgium (1952-1967). -- order postcard of "Four Negro Heads" |
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--
A beautiful
original charcoal drawing of
Peter Paul Rubens, the famous
Flemish painter. The picture is signed "Frederic Le???,
1834. It measure approximately 8x10 and is drawn on paper
with age marks typical for that time period. |
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19.
Many original 16mm films: The Emancipation
Proclamation -- Ethiopia: Ancient Land, Strategic Land --
Negro Slavery -- Sound of Sunshine, Sound of Rain (social
propaganda film) -- Jesse Owens: 1936 Olympics -- William:
From Georgia To Harlem -- Slavery and Slave Resistance --
Martin Luther King, Jr.: An Amazing Grace -- Martin Luther
King, Jr.: The Assassin Years -- Afro American Music, It's
Heritage, Cabin in the Sky -- and more...Many of these films are lost and will
never be seen again. We are transferring these films to DVD
so that we can play film clips in our galleries. Some
transferred to DVD
already:
-- (1) Palmour Street (1957)
- This film stands apart from 99% of the educational film
productions involving African-Americans in the mid-1950s
because it portrays an African-American family that lives a
normal life and the film itself lacks the typical racist
narration and stereotypical scenarios. The gist of this
movie is that good parenting practices make for healthier
children. This is a great film for African-American studies.
Length: 23 minutes
-- (2) We Work Again (1930s)
- This WPA (Works Project
Administration) film tries to convey that the New Deal is
beneficial for African-Americans.
Length: 11 minutes
-- (3) Farmer Henry Browne (1942)
-
This is a nice portrait of an
African-American farmer in Georgia during WWII. Like other
Americans assisting in the war effort domestically, Henry
Browne uses productivity and hard work to support American
troops.
Length: 11 minutes
-- (4) Negro Colleges In Wartime (1944)
-
This short film about
the training regiment of African American soldiers in WWII
will strike up constructive educational dialogue about the
racist treatment black American soldiers received during the
WWII. Great video of African American military culture and
history abounds in this film from the 40s, including
footage of the historic Muskagee airmen. Watching the
segregated military practices of this time period shows why
the civil rights leaders, both during the Korean War and the
Vietnam War, were very concerned with the mass enlistments
of young African Americans.
Length: 9 minutes
-- (5) With No One to Help Us (1967)
-
A group of welfare mothers in Newark form together to fight
the overpricing of grocery items to welfare recipients. This
is tremendously important documentary and a vital teaching
tool for African American studies. Amazing historical
documentation of the projects of Newark around the 1960s.
Length: 19 minutes
-- (6) The Plantation System In Southern Life
(1950) - See how
the centuries of African American slavery has effected
Southern culture and life in the South. A rare and
invaluable piece of black history.
Length: 10 minutes
-- (7) Teddy (1971)
- A social seminar film that picks the brain of Teddy,
a politically concious teenage African American male. Teddy
talks about police brutality, war, the Watts community of
L.A., The Black Panthers and "The System." Nice unknown
movie to show during black history month or to kick start
any black history or political discussion.
Length: 17 minutes
-- (8) Jesse Owens: 1936 Olympics - Jesse goes back to
the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, recounting his
accomplishments in August, 1936.
-- (9) The Birth of a Nation -
This landmark
film from silent director D.W. Griffith was the first movie
blockbuster. However, it also reveals a horribly racist
version of American history. The film was based on Thomas
Dixon Jr.'s anti-black, 1905 bigoted play, The Clansman.
The first part of the film chronicles the Civil War as
experienced through the eyes of two families; the Stonemans
from the North, and the Camerons of the South. Lifelong
friends, they become divided by the Mason-Dixon line, with
tragic results. Large-scale battle sequences and meticulous
historical details culminate with a staged re-creation of
Lincoln's assassination. The second half of the film
chronicles the Reconstruction, as Congressman Austin
Stoneman (Ralph Lewis) puts evil Silas Lynch (George
Siegmann) in charge of the liberated slaves at the Cameron
hometown of Piedmont. Armed with the right to vote, the
freed slaves cause all sorts of trouble until Ben Cameron
(Henry B. Walthall) founds the Ku Klux Klan and restores
order and "decency" to the troubled land. While The Birth
of a Nation was a major step forward in the history of
filmmaking, it must be noted that the film supports a racist
worldview. But there is no denying that it remains a
groundbreaking achievement, setting a high watermark for
film as an art form. Premiered at Clune's Auditorium in Los
Angeles, February 8, 1915, under the title The Clansman.
Premiered in New York City at the Liberty Theater on March
3, 1915, as The Birth of a Nation. The film toured
the rest of the country as a road show attraction. In 1906,
the same Liberty Theater had housed a run of Thomas Dixon's
stage play, The Clansman, which was one of the
sources for the film. At the New York premiere, Dixon stated
that he would have "allowed none but the son of a
Confederate soldier to direct the film version of The
Clansman." (New York Times, 3/4/1915). The Birth of a
Nation was added to the Library of Congress National
Film Registry in 1992. The film originally ran 13,058 feet
on 12 reels. At 16 frames per second, it ran approximately
185 minutes.
This landmark cinematic achievement features the first use
of now-standard techniques like cross-cutting and deep
focus, as well as the unprecedented long shot of the Lincoln
assassination and a color sequence at the end. The Birth
of a Nation was originally silent with a musical score.
In 1930, the film was reissued with sound effects and
synchronized music adapted from Joseph Carl Breil's original
score, but at a much shorter length--108 minutes. Current
prints run between 108 and 185 minutes, sometimes due to
deleted footage, sometimes due to incorrect projection
speeds. At some theaters, ticket prices cost up to $2 per
seat, a record figure at the time. The Birth of a Nation
was also reportedly the first film to utilize ushers. The
film reportedly made $20 million dollars at the box office.
Because the film's rights were simply sold outright in some
states, accurate figures are difficult to obtain, and the
film may have actually grossed $50 to $100 million. Director
D.W. Griffith shot this film without a script or even
written notes, saying that he had visualized the entire
movie in his mind. One scene deleted from the end of the
film professes to depict "Lincoln's Solution," in which
African-Americans are shipped back to Africa, while Abraham
Lincoln and Jesus Christ look approvingly on. From the
moment the film premiered, the NAACP organized mass
demonstrations against The Birth of a Nation; not
only did black people object to its racial stereotypes, but
they feared that its glorification of the Klan would lead to
increased violence against African-Americans. In fact, the
Klan used The Birth of a Nation to recruit new
members, and its ranks supposedly swelled after screenings
of the film. To his credit, Griffith later (by 1921)
released a shortened, re-edited version of the film without
references to the KKK.
-- Vintage brochure entitled, "D.W. Griffith
Presents The Birth Of A Nation. An Historical Drama in Two
Acts, Founded upon Thomas Dixon's story The Clansman."
It goes on to state "There will be an intermission of eight
minutes between Act I and Act II." The play is presented at
Conn's Theatre, Concord, New Hampshire, September 16, 17, 18
(no year).
-- First Edition copy of "The Clansman", by
Thomas Dixon. Published by Grossett and Dunlap in 1905.
-- (10) The Birth of a
Race -
A group of independent black
filmmakers released director Emmett J. Scott's The Birth
of a Race in 1919, filmed as a response to Griffith's
film (Birth of a Nation), with a more positive image of
African-Americans, but it was largely ignored.
Filmed in
Florida, New York, and Chicago, it cost $500,000, nearly
five times The Birth of a Nation's budget, and was at
least partially funded by the sale of stock. Birth of a
Race was panned by Variety, who stated that it was
"replete with historical inaccuracies, gross exaggerations,
and bromidic appeals to patriotism," noting that the film
was "full of rape, murder, and suicide." The film was
directed by John W. Noble and written by Noble and Rudolph
de Cordoba. It starred John Reinhardt, Jane Grey, George Le
Guerre, Ben Hendricks, Gertrude Braun, and Mary Kennevan.
The Birth of a Race was envisioned as an "answer" to D.W.
Griffith's racist and inflammatory film, The Birth of a
Nation. Unfortunately, due to cost overruns,
mismanagement and the strings that came attached with white
money, the film failed to achieve its original goals. The
result was a film that was hardly about African-Americans at
all, but about the struggle of white immigrants in this
country. It was a failed attempt to counteract the damage
that The Birth of a Nation caused to the image of the
African-American. Even with its many shortcomings from both
a technical as well as artistic standpoint, The Birth of
a Race at least demonstrated that motion pictures were
indeed a medium to be reckoned with that has an enormous
capability to influence a large number of people. Prolific
black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux's first film, the
feature-length The Homesteader (1919), and Within
Our Gates (1919) more effectively countered the message
of Griffith's film.
-- (11) History of the Negro in America -- Two
B/W 20-minute films: 1619-1860 and 1870-Today.
-- (12) Cabin in the Sky --
Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington and his
orchestra! Movie stars Lena Horne and Ethel
Water were in the movie.
-- (13)
1971 Pearl Bailey Show Vignettes. Guest Stars: Sid &
Marty Kroffet's Puppets. Special Guest Star: Ethel Waters
sings "His Eye Is On The Sparrow", "I'll Be There"
(Duet with Pearl). Pearl sings: "Hello Dolly",
"Walking My Baby Back Home", "Am I Blue", "Birth
Of The Blues", "Bill Bailey", This Is All I
Ask" and more...B&W. 50 minutes.
| 20. Museum quality portrait of John Brown, the famous abolitionist who fought to end slavery prior to the outbreak of the civil war. The reverse of the painting has the information "The Abolitioner, John Brown, born 1800 died 1859". The garland branch motif, at the bottom of the painting, was often used in artwork of the mid 1800s. We are still researching the identity of the painter. Here's what a John Brown author/researcher, Dr. John DeCaro, wrote about this painting: "As a biographer and scholar of Brown I can assure you that there is no possibility that Brown sat for this painting. Brown was a very progressive man and in the 1840s and 1850s, he periodically sat for daguerreotype portraits--the early photograph. He never sat for a painted portrait. Numerous paintings have been made of Brown, some of them very well done based on daguerreotype portraits, others inspired by those images. This painting was apparently a rendering by someone who never saw Brown...the hair and beard are stylized. It may have been done in tribute to him by an admirer (perhaps a black artist?)...." This painting is oil on wood board, measures 12" x 10" unframed and 16" x 13" in its period frame. This is unusual, rare subject matter. >>>> |
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-- Seventeen genuine issues of Harpers Weekly, illustration
and content rich about John Brown.
-- Four vintage engravings of T. Hovenden's "John
Brown on His Way to Execution".
-- Genuine eyewitness account of John Brown's battle at
Harper's Ferry as seen by one of his prisoners, John
Daingerfield (1885).
-- First Edition (1929) of Benet's, John Brown's Body.
-- Late 1800s sheet music, John Brown's Body"
21. Many other
international
Slave-related hand written manuscripts from colonial Peru, Bolivia,
Argentina and other parts of South America, Puerto (Porto)
Rico and Cuba...most written in Old Spanish -- Dates:
1553, 1567(3 documents), 1597, 1604,
1608, 1609 (2 documents), 1610,
1612, 1640, 1641, 1672, 1675, 1682, 1688, 1689 (2 documents), 1690, 1706, 1768,
1772, 1774, 1775, 1782, 1785, 1789, 1798, 1799,
1803, 1806, 1811, 1814, 1821, 1822,
1823, 1825, 1831, 1836 (2 documents), 1837, 1839, 1840, 1844, 1845, 1852, 1858, 1860 & more...The
slaves, all from Africa, were sold in Buenos Aires. This was
their first port and generally the original place of sale
for slaves being brought into South America. From there
they were sold and then transported to other places in South
America. Usually, when being taken to Peru their first port
was Valparaiso near Santiago where slaves were dropped off,
and the rest were transported onto Peru, into the port of
Callao, which is in Lima. These slaves were usually given a
60 day "heart" guarantee, and any heart malady after the
warranty period fell onto the buyer.
Here are
some examples:
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-- 1553, Extremely rare, signed Peru (Spanish)
colonial handwritten,
fascinating manuscript...written in Old Spanish. Merchant, Diego de
Ribera, citizen of Arequipa city (south Andes of Peru), sells to Cristobal
de Rueda: "...a Black slave, from Mozambique, named Cristobal,
which has a healthy of title and had of good
war, and surely with choral drop and
bad of earth and that is not evasive, neither thief nor
fugitive.. neither it has other faults nor diseases(!)
by price of 300 Pesos from assayed and marked silver..." The file
is dated June 6, 1553. It is interesting to analyze the term:
"had of good war", surely a justification of
slave traders with respect to the storing of slaves in Africa,
avoiding conflicts with certain tribes. "Gota Coral"
is the ancient term for epilepsy, because one thought that a great
drop of blood struck the heart. Exceptional
document for its age!! One leaf = 2
pages, signed and complete! No moth, humidity or foxing. -- 1609, Original complete signed Spanish Colony in Peru. It details the giving of a Black slave, Fransisco (valued at 680 silver pesos) as a part of the payment of debt to a Catholic convent. The debtor is the Knight of the Calatrava Order of Don Juan de Abalos Riberia. -- 1689, The sale of a Black slave woman, Maria Criolla (19 years of age) for 500 silver pesos. The seller is Don Jose DeAvila and the buyer is "Hacienda de Vilca Huaura". -- 1706 signed contract for the sale of a Black woman in Cochabama, Bolivia. -- 1798 signed contract for the sale of Segundo, a young Black man in Bolivia. -- 1836, The sale of a Black slave woman, Jacoba, 15 years old (daughter of another slave woman named Jacoba) for 200 silver pesos. The seller is Don Manuel Salazar and the buyer is Don Mariano Hermenegildo. |
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<-- An
impossible to find 1859
Cuban Slave Contract
defining the purchase of Chinese slave, Chang Chew. Pictured to the
left, this document is written in Chinese on the rear. The front of
the contract is written in Spanish. -- 1858 List of Captured Runaway Slaves in Cuba -- There existed many groups of slaves throughout Latin America called "Cimarrones" (Wild Ones). This document details those who had fled their masters and had been captured by the police. The term Cimarron means "runaway slave" and refers mainly to African slaves who had run away from their Spanish masters. Many slave uprisings were sponsored by these groups across the Caribbean and Latin America. -- 1860 list of 372 Chinese Laborers (Slaves?) who have disembarked from the ship, Loyola. The ages are between 30-35 years of age. This may have been because the Cubans were running out of younger laborers. -- 1803 signed slave contract from Peru, under Spanish Kingdom Colony domination. The document details the sale of a male slave who had happened to come from Valparaiso, Chile. -- 1768 document detailing the sale of Theresa (24 years of age), a slave being sold in Buenos Aires, Argentina. |
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-- 1619 rare document (4 pages) detailing the sale
of Manuel, a slave being sold in Bolivia. It also gives
a glimpse into colonial life in that part of South America. -- 1597 intriguing document about colonial life in Bolivia, including the business between Alvaro Martin and a priest in a monastery. -- 14-page Peruvian register from the San Bartolome Hospital (1811 -- only for Black slaves, pictured below) -- Cuban Ship (Matano') Document -- leaving Havanna for Barcelona, Spain on October 3, 1822. -- Cuban Ship Document -- leaving Habanna (sic) for Barcelona, Spain on April 5, 1820. -- 1875 Cuba Slave identification document with Havana police. -- 1856 Cuban document explaining what has been done to avoid the landing of a ship transporting slaves from Africa to Cuba. The letter is directed to the gentlemen governing the brigadier politico and the military head of the jurisdiction -- Jatibonico, a municipality in the Sancti Spiritus Province of Cuba. |
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| -- 1840 ship registration (Portugal) with one slave aboard. The ship "Palas" arrived at Montevideo from Rio de Janeiro, and later left for Pernambuco. It carried 1 slave (police report). |
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22. Stunning Silver Civil War
locket (1860s),
containing two tin-type pictures of African American women (looks like
mother and daughter), worn by an
African American soldier
during the Civil War. The locket opens on a hinge to reveal the other
tin-type picture. Picture to the left. -- Many circulars from the War Department addressing the issues surrounding the Freedmen's Bureau, refugees and abandoned lands. -- Hand written letter stating the difficulty of determining the ages of Free Negroes (Sept.17, 1851). -- Hand written letter by Civil War soldier wanting a position in Wild's African Brigade (January 17, 1864). |
-- "Colored Soldier Regiments" in the Civil War -- "No officer in this regiment now doubts that the key to the successful prosecution of this war lies in the unlimited employment of black troops. Their superiority lies simply in the fact that they know the country, while white troops do not, and, moreover, that they have peculiarities of temperament, position, and motive which belong to them alone. Instead of leaving their homes and families to fight they are fighting for their homes and families, and they show the resolution and sagacity which a personal purpose gives. It would have been madness to attempt, with the bravest white troops what I have successfully accomplished with the black ones. Everything, even to the piloting of the vessels and the selection of the proper points for cannonading, was done by my own soldiers." -- Excerpt from February 1, 1863 report by Colonel T. W. Higginson, commander of the First Regiment South Carolina Volunteers (Union) after the January 23 - February 1, 1863 Expedition from Beaufort South Carolina, up the Saint Mary's River in Georgia and Florida.
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23. A First Edition 55-page article entitled, "The Rosetta Stone" in Archaeologia: Miscellaneous Tracts Relating to Antiquity, Volume XVI, published by The Society of Antiquaries of London. 1812. Some of the first published articles about the Rosetta Stone. This is historic in light of the fact that the code to Hieroglyphics wasn't cracked until 1822 by Jean Champollion. -- One and a half pages of the Gentleman's Magazine (August, 1802) stating, "...a treble inscription brought up from Rosetta, in Egypt, where it was dug up by the French, and, with other antique fragments, made by capitulation the property of the British nation. Copies had been previously taken of it by its former possessors, who, with their accustomed vivacity, have attempted to illustrate it..." (This was written a full 20 years before the code to Hieroglyphics was cracked by Champollion.) |
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-- An original "Elephant-size" folio Victorian print
(circa 1895) of the Rosetta Stone. Measures 21x14" on heavyweight
paper.
-- An original "Elephant-size" folio Victorian print
(circa 1895) of a gentleman viewing the Rosetta Stone in the British
Museum. Measures 21x14" on heavyweight paper.
-- An 1815 engraving of the British Museum (its original,
smaller site).
-- Superb Georgian
(during the reign of King William IV 1830-1837) hardback
complete two-volume First Edition set entitled “Egyptian
Antiquities,” by The British Museum, with nearly
100 fine engravings and other illustrations.
They were published by
Charles Knight, of
--
Extremely Rare Museum Quality Full Face Casting of the Rosetta Stone
-- In the 1970’s, the British Museum made a mold of the full face of the
Rosetta Stone, and cast a small number of 1st generation casts. When I
acquired this I was told maybe only 12-15 had been made, and that I had
acquired the last one. (It had been stored in the basement of the British
Museum.) It is an actual casting in black resin with the characters
in white, made from a direct mold of the Stone's face. The bottom
right of the face contains the imprint of the British Museum, thus
authenticating it. I have been informed by the British Museum’s Department
of Conservation, that the Museum itself makes no more production runs. The
British Museum Company, who is in charge of museum sales, informed us as
follows: “Unfortunately we do not have any records of how many Rosetta
Stone casts were produced. However, (we) estimate that for a short period
of time, it would have been two or three a year at the very most.” The
replica (one of 12-15 copies in existence) is pictured to the right
--> Do you want to own a full-size, 3-D replica of the original
Rosetta Stone? Click here -->
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...We are now masters of the western branch of that
river, and of course have opened a communication with the Delta, from
which we shall derive the necessary supplies, as the French have
scarcely any troops there, and none capable of making a serious
resistance. The enemy had
about 800 men at Rosetta when they were attacked. They made but a
feeble effort to sustain themselves, and retired to the right bank of
the Nile, leaving a few men and prisoners. They left a garrison at the
fort, against which our batteries opened on the 16th infantry and it
surrendered on the 19th infantry. The condition of the same as were
granted to the castle of the Aboukir..." -- In August 1799, just over a year after Napoleon launched his invasion of Egypt at Alexandria, a great discovery was made. Under the leadership of Lt. Pierre Bouchard, French soldiers were building up their defenses around the area of Fort St. Julian, near the northern city of Rosetta, when a soldier or engineer found in the ruins an ancient stone. With its cryptic inscriptions, it was immediately recognized as an object of great importance. It was sent to Cairo, where it was housed in the Institute d’Egypte. Members of Napoleon’s special civilian corps dispersed around the country were requested to go there at once. The rare map to the right is of the mouth of the Nile, picturing Fort Julian, now known as Fort Rashid --> |
Map of Rosetta region at the mouth
of the Nile, with Fort Julian on the West Bank of the river. |
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-- A Bit of History About the Rosetta Stone: Some scientists accompanied Napoleon's French campaign in Egypt (1798-1801). After Napoleon Bonaparte founded the Institut de l'Egypte in Cairo in 1798 some 50 became members of it. On July 15th, 1799, just over a year after Napoleon launched his invasion of Egypt at Alexandria, a great discovery was made. Under the command of Lt. Pierre-François Bouchard (1772-1832), French |