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LOT #42072 |
Starting Bid: $20,000
John Adams Autograph Letter Signed...
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Description
An 80-Year-Old John Adams Writes to His Three Grandchildren on the 39th Anniversary of American Independence
John Adams Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams").
Two pages on a single leaf, 7 3/4 x 9 3/4 inches; Quincy; July 4,
1815. Addressed to his grandsons, George, John, and Charles
Adams."I did not think it wise, to expose my trembling limbs and purblind eyes, to the inspection of the respectable multitudes in Boston, Lexington or Dorchester. I have lost my taste, if I ever had any for toasts and huzzas and clapping hands."
A warm and highly personal letter from Adams to his grandsons, written on the 39th anniversary of American independence-and John Adams II's twelfth birthday. Adams pens, in full:
"My dear George, My dear John and my dear Charles
Time was, our Ancestors would knock
the servants up, and rise at four o'clock
For three or four weeks we have been afflicted by drought so sharp and severe as to threaten destruction to our grain, grass and gardens. Our sky was brass and our rain powder and dust. But yesterday and last night we had a plentiful and delightful rain with sublime thunder and beautiful lightning. This morning, awaked by the morning sun at break of day, I arose, a quarter before four. The storm was over. The atmosphere pure, sweet and clear; the dust laid; the grain, grass, gardens, foliage, flowers washed clean and their colors freshened. The birds! Oh Now, shall I describe the concert? It was begun by the long Whoop of the nighthawk and the lofty clarion of all the gamecocks in the neighborhood. The robins by dozens soon followed with their animating carols, the woodpeckers, the larks, the bob O'Lincolns, the goldfinches, the thrushes, the Catbirds, the Virginia nightingales, the blue birds, the spring birds, the swallows, the sparrows, the yellowbirds, and the Wrens, all united with the amorous cooings of the doves.
You would have thought you had heard ten thousand ladies with their soft, sweet, and melodious voices all singing and talking at once on a great plain. Now, Master John, let me give you a specimen of the art of singing in poetry, philosophy, and divinity. Do you think all this conspiracy of nature was to introduce your birthday? Oh! No! Was it to introduce the 39th anniversary of American Independence? Oh! No! But to you, Master John, it ought to intimate that you was born for some good and useful purpose.
July 5th, the day has passed. A more comfortable, beautiful, and delightful day never was seen. I did not think it wise, to expose my trembling limbs and purblind eyes, to the inspection of the respectable multitudes in Boston, Lexington or Dorchester. I have lost my taste, if I ever had any for toasts and huzzas and clapping hands.
We know not what has become of you, or your father and mother. Write and let us know.
With more anxiety for you, than you will at present believe, I am your affectionate grandfather
John Adams
George, John, and Charles Adams."
In 1815, Adams was enjoying retirement at his Quincy estate, Peacefield, though he remained politically engaged, most notably through his famous correspondence with Thomas Jefferson. His son, John Quincy Adams, was then rising in public life and would one day follow his father into the presidency. This letter, however, reveals a more personal side of Adams, capturing one of the nation's founding figures in a moment of quiet reflection. That he could not join the Independence Day celebrations due to his "trembling limbs and purblind eyes" seems to trouble him little; instead, his attention rests on his family as he marks another year in the life of the nation he helped to create.
Condition: In overall very fine condition with excellent ink retention and clarity on lightly toned paper with standard folds. A mounting strip along the left edge on the recto and scattered minor stains.
Provenance: Christie's, Americana: Printed and Manuscript, February 12, 2009, lot 3.
Auction Info
2026 June 19 The John H. Freund Americana Collection Signature® Auction #6331 (go to Auction Home page)
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June
19th
Friday
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June
19th
Friday
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