Van Buren & Adams: Free Soil "Grand National Banner."...

Click the image to load the highest resolution version.

Sold on Nov 17, 2010 for:

Sign-in or Join (free & quick)

Get one of these:

Share this lot

Track Item Printable Auction Results

Sell One of These

Description

Auction Info

Guides & Info

Description

Van Buren & Adams: Free Soil "Grand National Banner." In 1848, former president Martin Van Buren, in retirement at Kinderhook, New York, decided to make another run at the White House. He had been the presumptive nominee in 1844, but was displaced by James K. Polk who was leaving the White House after fulfilling all his campaign pledges. Abolition sentiment had been growing throughout the northeast and "The Little Magician" was nominated by the Free Soil Party, the successor to the Liberty Party. His vice presidential running mate was Charles Francis Adams, a son of former president John Quincy Adams. The ticket pulled away enough votes in New York to throw the state to Zachary Taylor, costing Democrat Lewis Cass the presidency. This item is a 10" x 14" hand-colored lithograph published by Nathaniel Currier in 1848, titled "Grand Democratic Free Soil Banner". It depicts Van Buren & Adams beneath "The Temple of Liberty", an American eagle with the slogan "Free Soil Free Labor Free Speech", while a farming vignette appears below. Printed in black, it is highlighted in burgundy, blue, green, yellow, grayish-brown, and red. It is part of the Currier series of "Grand National Banners" published from 1844 to 1876 and may very well be the rarest one in the series (the other "toughies" being Breckinridge & Lane, Grant & Wilson, and Greeley & Brown). This example has some minor damp stains at the bottom border, even, light toning and 0.5" margins all around. It is a very fine example of a highly-elusive print. Heritage sold another example a few years back for $6,573.