LOT #47156 |
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Sarah Fisher Ames Archive....
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Description
Sarah Fisher Ames Archive. Six letters, twenty photographs, and three negatives of various sizes, related to Sarah Fisher Ames and her extended family, dated between 1878 and 1881, with one later letter dated August 2, 1945.The letters are largely related to Ames trying to secure a military appointment for her son, Robert Fisher Ames. Her prominent friends in Massachusetts, many of whom knew her for her service as a nurse in the Civil War as well as being a noted sculptor, vouched for Robert's character on Sarah's behalf.
Includes:
George Hoar Autograph Letter Signed. No place; May 17, 1878. With original transmittal cover.
Edward Davis Townsend Letter Signed. "Adjutant General's Office," Washington, D.C.; May 27, 1879. With original transmittal cover.
Wendell Phillips Autograph Letter Signed. No place; no date.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. Autograph Letter Signed. "296 Beacon Street," [Boston, Massachusetts]; May 6, 1878.
Richard H. Dana, Jr. Autograph Letter Signed. "361 Beacon St," [Boston, Massachusetts]; May 6, 1878. With original transmittal cover.
Also, a letter of introduction to General Phillip H. Sheridan.
The photographs depict Sarah, her husband, Joseph Ames (a noted artist in his own right), her children, and their extended family. There are six modern printed photographs of Sarah and Joseph, with three negatives of these photos. The earlier fourteen photos are all mounted on cardstock, and include: one photograph of Sarah's daughter-in-law in her nurse's uniform; two photographs of Robert Fisher Ames in uniform; one stereoview of Sarah with her granddaughter, Gwendolen Whistler; one photograph of Sarah's daughter-in-law, Josephine Morton; three photographs of Sarah's daughter, Sophie Margeurite Ames; three cabinet cards, one depicting Sarah and the other two depicting Sophie; and two albumen boudoir cards, depicting Josephine in kimono, and Robert in uniform.
All of the photographs are annotated on the verso in pencil, identifying the figures depicted. The cabinet and boudoir cards each contain photo stamps identifying the photographer.
Additionally, this archive contains four newspaper clippings and two handwritten notes regarding Joseph Ames, as well as a letter from "Godspeed's Bookshop" in Boston, inquiring about Joseph Ames's Lincoln portraiture.
Sarah Fisher Ames was a distinguished sculptor and Civil War nurse from Lewes, Delaware. Little is known about Ames's early life, but in 1845, she married portrait painter Joseph Alexander Ames and accompanied him to Rome when he was commissioned to paint Pope Pius IX. There, she is believed to have studied classical sculpture before returning home at the outbreak of the Civil War. During the war, she volunteered as a nurse for the Sanitary Commission and received a pass from President Lincoln to tend to the wounded at Gettysburg. After the war, she dedicated herself to her art, and continued to produce works until her passing in 1901.
Condition: The letters are all slightly toned, with smoothed folds. Photographs are moderately toned, several with worn edges to the cardstock.
Auction Info
2025 March 28 Historical Manuscripts Including Texana Signature® Auction #6316 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
March, 2025
28th
Friday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 0
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