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April 14, 2020
Author: W K

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Specializing in rare books, fine art and everything in between.
President & principal auctioneer: @nicholowry

“The nation needs a movement. And the questions

“The nation needs a movement. And the questions we argue about, violence and non-violence, will be dealt with in a demonstration. . . . “ — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Speaking to the SCLC Board in 1968

This speech was given at a planning meeting for the last of his great protest movements: the Poor People’s Campaign. The audience was a large group of leaders and staff of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference which he had founded and led for ten years as his primary vehicle for activism. In the recording from this meeting we can hear shouts of affirmation and rueful laughter from the audience.

The stakes were high. The Poor People’s Campaign would soon be publicized and launched, but the group was still debating its tactics and list of demands. King told the Atlanta Constitution on January 17, 1968, that an “idea task force” was presently preparing demands for Congress, adding that “we’re trying to provide an alternative to the long hot summer.”

Listen to clips from the meeting at the link in our bio.

Abstract Beauty: The Collection of Patricia Scipio

'R.F.D. 36' by Paul Meltsner depicts a postal deli

'R.F.D. 36' by Paul Meltsner depicts a postal deliveryman in the foreground and a farmer, on his tractor, returning from the fields. Rural Free Delivery (R.F.D.) was a concept that moved the burden of mail delivery from that of individual households in rural areas to a single mail carrier. This concept was first discussed in America toward the end of the nineteenth century, and it was voted into law by Congress in 1902 as a national program.⁠
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Featured in the Artists of the WPA. Auction closing January 30 at 12 PM ET.⁠

Featured in the Artists of the WPA is Isabel Bisho

Featured in the Artists of the WPA is Isabel Bishop with 'Toothache,' oil on masonite. Estimate $5,000 to $7,000. Auction closing January 30.

Dorothea Lange's 'State Employment Office at San F

Dorothea Lange's 'State Employment Office at San Francisco, California, 1936, printed circa 1930s, is featured in The Artists of the WPA — auction closing January 30. ⁠
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The economic hardships of the 1930s, as well as the drought across the North American prairie, were of great concern to lawmakers in Washington, DC. The agencies that formed as part of the New Deal, an “alphabet soup” that included the Works Progress Administration, the Farm Security Administration, and the Federal Art Project, put artists to work. These artists expressed empathy for the American farmer, as seen in Thomas Hart Benton’s romanticized vision of farm life in Missouri Farmyard, and Dorothea Lange’s tender documentation of the plight of families experiencing the Dust Bowl era. ⁠
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TIMED AUCTION | The winter 2025 season opens at Sw

TIMED AUCTION | The winter 2025 season opens at Swann with the Artists of the WPA. Works in photography, cartography, printmaking, posters, and painting are all represented in this reflection on how the early twentieth century changed American culture.⁠
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Timed bidding opens January 16 at 10AM and begins closing on January 30 at 12 PM ET. Previewing Saturday, January 25, and Monday, January 27 through Wednesday, January 29 — 12 PM - 5 PM⁠
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Browse the complete catalogue and register to bid at the link in our bio.⁠
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Pictured here is lot 191: Thomas Hart Benton, 'Morning Train,' lithograph, 1943. Estimate $2,000 to $3,000.

2024 was an eventful year for Swann that brought a

2024 was an eventful year for Swann that brought about exciting changes, including the reorganization of our Fine Art Department, which saw Nigel Freeman step in as the head of the department and Lisa Crescenzo as the managing director. The year also saw the addition of The Subculture Sale in February and the return of The New York Sale in September. Single-owner collections were among some of the high spots of 2024; in February, we offered An American Century: The Collection of Dr. James & Debra Pearl & Fine Photographs, March’s Autograph auction featured property from the Steve Forbes Collection, May brought Tennis & Sports Posters: Collection of the Schwartz Family & Tennis Corporation of America, and June’s Illustration Art sale included Highlights from the Collection of Jules Feiffer.⁠
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At the link in our bio, explore the top lots of 2024.

Happy New Year 🎉 Pictured here is Marvin Newma

Happy New Year 🎉

Pictured here is Marvin Newman’s “New Year’s Eve (Trumpets), 1953.

Happy Chrismukkah 🎄🕎 Swann will be closed t

Happy Chrismukkah 🎄🕎

Swann will be closed through December 27, as well as New Year’s Day

Happy holidays from Swann ✨

Happy holidays from Swann ✨

SWANN'S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS | Day 12 is Marlee He

SWANN'S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS | Day 12 is Marlee Heyer's 'The puppet theatre,' double-page illustration from the picture book The Forbidden Door, 1988. Featured in today's Illustration Art auction. Estimate $800 to $1,200.⁠

SWANN'S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS | Day 11 is Norman P.

SWANN'S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS | Day 11 is Norman P. Hall's 'For several minutes, Betty and Bobby looked about them in wonderment,' interior book illustration for The Wonder Hill, Or The Marvelous REscue of Prince Iota by Albert Neely Hall, 1914. Featured in tomorrow's sale of Illustration Art. Estimate $1,000 to $1,500. ⁠
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From a delightful and obscure children's book very much inspired by Frank L. Baum and his Oz books, this scene represents "the most gorgeous [room the children] had ever laid eyes on. The walls were richly ornamented with gold, and the room was brilliantly lighted by a large glass dome over the center of the ceiling."⁠
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"The first thing that came to their attention was a fountain of delicious ice-cream soda water over in a corner of the room. This was a most wonderful fountain. It ran continuously, and its flavors changed every minute. So, if you did not like the taste of one kind of soda water, all you had to do was empty your golden goblet, wait until the flavor changed, and then try some more."⁠
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Norman P. Hall also illustrated Baum's American Fairy Tales (1901) and Aunt Jane's Nieces in the Red Cross (1915). In addition to the Baum books, Hall worked on many juvenilia and adventure stories including The Boy Scouts of the Air, The Boy Craftsman.

SWANN'S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS | Day 10 is Ludwig Be

SWANN'S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS | Day 10 is Ludwig Bemelmans's 'The magician, as he took his pill,' from Madeline's Christmas, illustration published on pages 18-19 of the original special insert in the Christmas edition of McCall's magazine, 1956. Featured in the December 12 auction of Illustration Art. Estimate $15,000 to $25,000. ⁠
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The "Madeline and the Magician" image from Madeline's Christmas depicts the moment after Madeline thaws the frozen merchant/magician. He, in turn, asks what he can do for her. The full caption reads: "The magician, as he took his pill, said, 'Ask me, Madeline, what you will.' Said she, 'I've cooked a dinner nutritious. Will you please help me with the dishes?'"⁠
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The 1956 version includes a green lamp hanging from the ceiling, which does not appear in the 1985 publication.

SWANN'S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS | Day 9 is Warren Cha

SWANN'S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS | Day 9 is Warren Chappell's 'Santa and Punch,' illustration and note, circa 1920. Featured in the December 12 auction of Illustration Art. Estimate $500 to $750. ⁠
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Warren Chappell illustrated books for numerous publishers, including Alfred A. Knopf, Random House, Harper & Row, Doubleday, and Little, Brown. His own books include The Anatomy of Lettering (1935), A Short History of the Printed Word (1970), and The Living Alphabet (1975). Chappell also designed two typefaces, Lydian and Trajanus.

SWANN'S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS | Day 8 is Peter Palo

SWANN'S 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS | Day 8 is Peter Palombi's 'Stockings up for Christmas,' original illustration for a Paper Moon greeting card, 1979. Featured in the December 12 auction of Illustration Art. Estimate $2,000 to $3,000.⁠
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Peter Palombi was an artist and illustrator who was celebrated for his hyper-realistic airbrush technique. In the 2008 book Overspray: Riding High with the Kings of California Airbrush Art, he was recognized as one of the "Kings of California Airbrush Art." Palombi contributed artwork for the music industry and created images for publications like Playboy and Rolling Stone. His work also extended to film, with clients including the studios behind American Graffiti and The Last Picture Show.

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