LOT #45100 |
Sold on Dec 11, 2024 for: Sign-in
or Join (free & quick)
Ralph Waldo Emerson. Autograph letter signed ("R. Waldo Emerson"), to Henry Van Brunt. Concord, 7 February 1875....
Click the image to load the highest resolution version.
Sold on Dec 11, 2024 for:
$1,687.50
Bid Source: HA.com/Live bidder
Get one of these:
Explore Available Items
Description
Ralph Waldo Emerson. Autograph letter signed ("R. Waldo Emerson"), to Henry Van Brunt. Concord, 7 February 1875.2 pages, 8vo (153 x 102 mm), on a bifolium. Housed in a cloth folder and quarter morocco folding case.
Emerson writes to thank the Boston architect on behalf of the committee for his advice and design for the pedestal for the Concord Monument, as well as suggesting J. Elliot Cabot for the project.
"The committee having charge of the completion of the new monument to indicate the ground occupied by the American soldiers in the first battle of the Revolution in April 19th, 1775, desires to express their thanks to you for your very kind intimation to Mr. J. Elliot Cabot, that you would give them the benefit of your counsel in regard to the proper pedestal for the Statue & having learned that the draught of a design for the pedestal was drawn by yourself, it was voted that the thanks of this Committee be communicated to Henry Van Brunt, Esq. for this generous assistance in designing the Pedestal of the Stature and for the plan communicated to us by himself & Mr. Cabot."
Van Brunt and fellow Harvard graduate William Robert Ware established the architectural firm of Ware & Van Brunt. The firm produced designs for many buildings in the Boston area, including Harvard University's Memorial Hall, among other projects.
James Elliot Cabot designed the pedestal for the Minute Man statue in Concord, Massachusetts. Cabot's design was similar to French's final pedestal design, and the pedestal is a simple granite structure that is 7.5 feet tall and 4.5 feet wide. The front of the pedestal is inscribed with the first stanza of Emerson's "Concord Hymn". The rear of the pedestal has the date of the battle and the year of the centennial.
Condition: Archival tape reinforcing central fold on integral leaf, and on margin edge of letter portion; a little toning across text on central fold; creased at folds.
Provenance: Purchased from Waiting For Godot Books, Hadley, Mass., 2 April 1998. From the William A. Strutz Library.
View all of [The William A. Strutz Library ]
Auction Info
2024 December 11 Important English and American Literature: The William A. Strutz Library, Part II, Rare Books Signature® Auction #6300 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2024
11th
Wednesday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 4
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 119
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% on the first $1,000,000 (minimum $49), plus 20% of any amount between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000, plus 15% of any amount over $5,000,000 per lot.
Shipping, Taxes, Terms and Bidding
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms
Important information concerning Sales Tax and Resale Certificates. Learn More
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms