2010-19: The Decade in Review

Ten years of growth and auction at Swann Galleries

The 2010s brought Swann a number of notable moments. We offered a range of special collections across all of our departments including memorable sales like The Edward Gorey Collection of Samuel Speigel in May of 2014. 2015 brought The Art Collection of Maya Angelou, while 2018 was filled with collections from notable Americana collectors: Revolutionary & Presidential Americana from the Collection of William Wheeler III in June and The Harold Holzer Collection of Lincolniana in September.

We established two new departments over the last decade: Illustration Art held its first dedicated sale in January of 2013 with 20th Century Illustration and in June of 2019 we the first sale dedicated to LGBTQ+ Art, Material Culture & History with The Pride Sale, which boasted numerous auction records and first-time market appearances. And, in 2017, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of our first sale.

As we embark on a new decade, here’s a look at some of our favorite highlights from the last ten years:

American Art

William Glackens, The Beach, Isle Adam, oil on canvas of a beach scene, circa 1925-26.
William Glackens, The Beach, Isle Adam, oil on canvas, circa 1926-25. Sold June 15, 2017 for $581,000.
Sanford Robinson Gifford, Study of the Parthenon, oil on canvas, 1869. Sold June 9, 2016 for $269,000.

African-American Fine Art

Faith Ringgold, Maya's Quilt of Life, acrylic on canvas, painted, dyed & pieced fabric, 1989.
Faith Ringgold, Maya’s Quilt of Life, acrylic on canvas, painted, dyed & pieced fabric, 1989. Sold September 15, 2015 from The Art Collection of Maya Angelou for $461,000.
Norman Lewis, Untitled, oil on canvas of cream abstraction, circa 1958.
Norman Lewis, Untitled, oil on canvas, circa 1958. Sold December 15, 2015 for $965,000.
Elizabeth Catlett, Seated Woman, carved mahogany, 1962.
Elizabeth Catlett, Seated Woman, carved mahogany, 1962. Sold October 8, 2019 for $389,000, a record for the artist.

Books & Manuscripts

Autographs

Albert Einstein, group of five Autograph Letters Signed, 1910-15.
Albert Einstein, group of five Autograph Letters Signed, 1910-15. Sold November 26, 2013 for $161,000.
Herman Melville, two volumes of classic poetry, the first signed, annotated throughout, circa 1860.
Herman Melville, two volumes of classic poetry, the first signed, annotated throughout, circa 1860. Sold October 10, 2019 for $106,250, a record for any book signed by Melville.

Art, Press & Illustrated Books

Gustav Klimt, Das Werk von Gustav Klimt, Vienna, 1918.
Gustav Klimt, Das Werk von Gustav Klimt, Vienna, 1918. Sold October 11, 2012 for $144,000.
Tom Phillips, The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri, London, 1983.
Tom Phillips, The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri, London, 1983. Sold October 10, 2019 for $21,250.

Early Printed Books

Sir Philip Sidney, The Defense of Poesie, unauthorized first edition, title page image, London, 1595.
Sir Philip Sidney, The Defense of Poesie, unauthorized first edition, London, 1595. Sold March 8, 2018 for $149,000.

19th & 20th Century Literature

Ian Fleming, The Centenary Edition of the Works of Ian Fleming, 18 volumes, deluxe edition, London, 2008. Sold November 14, 2017 for $30,000.
Walt Whitman, Memoranda Of the War, first edition, second issue, inscribed to Peter Doyle, Camden, 1875-76.
Walt Whitman, Memoranda Of the War, first edition, second issue, inscribed to Peter Doyle, Camden, 1875-76. Sold June 20, 2019 in Swann’s inaugural Pride Sale for $70,000.

Maps & Atlases

William Faden, The North American Atlas, London, 1777.
William Faden, The North American Atlas, London, 1777. Sold December 8, 2015 for $341,000.
Mahmud Raif Efendi, Cedid Atlas Tercümesi, Istanbul, 1803-04.
Mahmud Raif Efendi, Cedid Atlas Tercümesi, Istanbul, 1803-04. Sold May 26, 2016 for $118,750.
Lewis Evans, A General Map of the Middle British Colonies, proof copy, annotated, signed & dated by Evans, Philadelphia, 1755.
Lewis Evans, A General Map of the Middle British Colonies, proof copy, annotated, signed & dated by Evans, Philadelphia, 1755. Sold June 6, 2019 for $125,000.

Printed & Manuscript African Americana

Civil War period carte-de-visite album, including two photographs of Harriet Tubman, one of them unrecorded, circa 1860s.
Civil War period carte-de-visite album, including two photographs of Harriet Tubman, one of them unrecorded, circa 1860s. Sold March 30, 2017 for $161,000.

Printed & Manuscript Americana

Bay Psalm Book, stated seventh edition, Boston, 1693
Bay Psalm Book, stated seventh edition, Boston, 1693. Sold February 4, 2016 for $221,000.
Large archive of Indian missionary letters written by the Pond family on the Minnesota frontier, 1833-93
Large archive of Indian missionary letters written by the Pond family on the Minnesota frontier, 1833-93. Sold September 28, 2017 for $112,500.
Records of the Dickinson & Shrewsbury salt works, with more than 2000 items, bulk 1820-65.
Records of the Dickinson & Shrewsbury salt works, with more than 2000 items, bulk 1820-65. Sold September 26, 2019 for $173,000.

Contemporary Art

Maqbool Fida Husain, Untitled (Horse), oil on canvas, late 1960s.
Maqbool Fida Husain, Untitled (Horse), oil on canvas, late 1960s. Sold May 16, 2013 for $144,000.
Louise Bourgeois, He Disappeared Into Complete Silence, portfolio with complete text and nine engravings, 1947.
Louise Bourgeois, He Disappeared Into Complete Silence, portfolio with complete text and nine engravings, 1947. Sold November 15, 2018 for $413,000.

Illustration Art

Charles M. Schulz, original three-tiered Peanuts comic strip, pen, ink & pencil, 1953. Sold January 24, 2013 for $22,300.
William Oden Waller, Manhattan Mary, set design for the 1929 Broadway production.
William Oden Waller, Manhattan Mary, set design for the 1929 Broadway production. Sold December 14, 2017 for $77,500.
Russel H. Tandy, The Secret in the Old Attic, original cover illustration for the Nancy Drew book of the same name by Carolyn Keene, watercolor, pencil, ink & gouache, 1955.
Russel H. Tandy, The Secret in the Old Attic, original cover illustration for the Nancy Drew book of the same name by Carolyn Keene, watercolor, pencil, ink & gouache, 1955. Sold June 5, 2018 for $35,000.

Photographs & Photobooks

Edward S. Curtis, The North American Indian, complete, set number 113, 1907-30. Sold October 4, 2012 for $1,440,000.
Ansel Adams, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, mural-sized silver print, reprocessed 1948, printed early- to mid-1950s.
Ansel Adams, Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, mural-sized silver print, reprocessed 1948, printed early- to mid-1950s. Sold February 25, 2016 for $221,000.
Album with 118 photographs, 16 of which are attributed to Martín Chambi, depicting the city and region of Cusco, Peru, 1920s.
Album with 118 photographs, 16 of which are attributed to Martín Chambi, depicting the city and region of Cusco, Peru, 1920s. Sold April 18, 2019 for $58,750.

Prints & Drawings

19th & 20th Century Prints Drawings

Pablo Picasso, Homme à la fraise, color linoleum cut, 1962. Sold March 3, 2011 for $144,000.
Egon Schiele, Schlafender Mann, watercolor, pencil & black crayon, 1910.
Egon Schiele, Schlafender Mann, watercolor, pencil & black crayon, 1910. Sold September 24, 2015 for $905,000.
Marc Chagall, Four Tales from the Arabian Nights, portfolio with complete text and 13 color lithographs, 1948. Sold March 2, 2017 for $269,000.

Old Master Through Modern Prints

James A. M. Whistler, Nocturne, etching & drypoint, 1879-80. Sold October 27, 2010 for $282,000.
Albrecht Dürer, St. Jerome in his Study, engraving, 1514.
Albrecht Dürer, St. Jerome in his Study, engraving, 1514. Sold October 30, 2013 for $173,000.
Edward Hopper, The Lonely House, etching, 1923.
Edward Hopper, The Lonely House, etching, 1923. Sold November 2, 2017 for $317,000.

Vintage Posters

Alphonse Mucha, The Seasons, 1896. Sold February 2, 2012 for $78,000.

Graphic Design

Man Ray, London Transport - Keeps London Going, 1938
Man Ray, London Transport – Keeps London Going, 1938. Sold May 3, 2018 for $149,000.

Rare & Important Travel Posters

White Star Line / Titanic, poster, 1912.
White Star Line / Titanic, 1912. Sold November 11, 2011 for $72,000.
Adolphe Mouron Cassandre, L.M.S. / Best Way, 2918. Sold November 8, 2012 for $162,500.

Fall Auction Schedule

How to Consign

January 13, 2020
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