Search Results: Authors starting with A from Auger Down Books

Philadelphia: Henszey and Co, 1860. Albumen photograph measuring 3 ½ x 2 ½ inches on mount. Excellent condition with clipped corners and minimal wear. Near Fine. Rachel Wilson Moore, a Quaker from Philadelphia who had strong anti-slavery views, traveled to the Caribbean and South America in the 1860s to try to save her ailing health. She published her journals from the trip under the title Journal of Rachel Wilson Moore, Kept During a Tour to the West Indies and South America, in 1863-64 With Notes from the Diary of her Husband; together with His Memoir. The book described the conditions of the enslaved people in the Caribbean, which she considered to be worse than the conditions in the American South. Offered here is a photograph of Moore, identified on the verso, from the Philadelphia studio Henszey & Co., likely from the late 1860s, showing an elderly Moore in a bonnet. We find no other records of the image.

Cincinnati: Corey and Fairbank, 1834. First Edition. 47 pages, complete; 8 7/8" x 5 â…œ." Slight odor else near fine, very good minus overall. Very Good. The Lane Seminary debates were perhaps the most extended and famous of many colonization versus emancipation debates that happened in the 1830s. "Founded in 1829, Lane was bakrolled by Arthur Tappan and headed by Henry Ward Beecher. In 1831 a Rev. Samuel Crothers published letters against slavery in a local paper, and a year later Stanton, a student at Lane, held that the North should not help the South put down a slave rebellion. In 1834 Weld and his followers from Oneida became students at Lane. With the charismatic Weld leading off, students armed with literature from the ACS and AASS explored immediatism for eighteen days in two-hour-plus sessions... to the dismay of the administration, the students not only formed an anti-slavery society but also started teaching in Cincinnati's black community. Contact with African Americans made the Lane… Read More

New Britain, 1855. Letter measuring 8 x 5 inches, folded. Fine condition. Fine.

Brooklyn, 1893. Single page. Some tears at creases, else about fine, very good overall. Very Good. A letter written by Thaddeus Hyatt to the editor of the New York Tribune, in response to a letter written by Eli Thayer on William Lloyd Garrison entitled "Garrison and his Creed." Hyatt takes issue with Thayer's portrayal of Garrison. He writes: "I think it is a great pity that so practical a man in Eli thayer, and who confessedly did a great work for Kansas (for which I have alwqays honored him) - should end his days as a Don Quixote, for he might just as well hope to bring down Gibraltar with a pop-gun as to think that he can change the verdict which coming generations will surely take upon the men he so grossly misrepresents and defames.... I am not a non-resistant; but my heart was with Mr. Garrison always in all his burning utterances against Slavery. Garrison, Phillips and John Brown need no defenders. Mr Thayer only hurts himself, and I respect to add that the Tribune (in my judgment) ;;is… Read More

Philadelphia, 1854. Ninth plate ambrotypes in a union case, measuring 2 ½ x 2 â…› inches (visible) in larger case. With the identification of (Isaac) Rehn, with his imprint and "Patented July 4 & 11, 1854" imprinted on the case. A fine pair. A striking pair of ambrotypes of Mary and Moses Pennock, who were members of the Kennett Square Underground Railroad network as well as active members of the Kennett Square abolitionist and Quaker community. Moses was one of the founders of the Longwood Progressive Meeting. In R.C. Smedley's History of the Underground Railroad in Chester and Neighboring Counties of Pennsylvania, (Lancaster, Office of the Journal, 1883), the Pennocks are mentioned on p. 301 as working as part of the network surrounding Isaac and Thamazine Meredity. Their son Samuel, who would go on to secure important agricultural patents, is also mentioned twice. The images are notable from a photographic history perspective as well, as being early examples of the ambrotype process that had… Read More

Boston: Anti-Slavery Bazaar, 1849. Small broadside measuring 7 ¾ x 4 ½ inches printed on green wove paper. Some creases and a small tear at margin, near fine. Near Fine. The American Anti-Slavery Society hosted annual bazaars, which served as fundraisers, with money going to supporting the National Anti-Slavery Standard newspaper. Many women were involved with the event, and sold abolitionist items. Offered here is one such piece of ephemera from the 1849 fair, a poem written by an unknown author with the pen name "M." The poem was featured in the poetry section of The Liberator (January 26, 1849, Vol. XIX. No. 4.) with the description "The two following poetical effusions were written for the Anti-Slavery Bazaar, In Faneuil Hall, by friends of freedom in the old world." It reads: Ye friends of liberty, all hail! May your endeavours never fail In freedom's sacred cause! May blessings e'er attend your course, In striving to uproot all force, And stern oppression's laws! Yours is a noble task, my… Read More

Various Publishers. A collection of books from the library of Earnest Elmo Calkins, who had the twin distinctions of being a pioneer in the design of the modern advertising agency and also being one of the first prominent American deaf businessmen. Highlights of the collection include a copy of The Advertising Man inscribed to his business partner Ralph Holden, and his own personal revision copy of Modern Advertising. Also included are Calkins' On the Technique of Being Deaf and two other works by Calkins. Calkins, born in Illinois, was fully deaf by the time he was an adult. After a first failed stint in New York, he managed to get a job in advertising for a firm in Peoria and eventually made his way back to New York City, landing at the Bates agency after studying at the Pratt School of Design. Calkins, with another Bates employee, Ralph Holden, launched the immensely influential Calkins and Holden firm in 1902. "With Ralph Holden, a fellow employee at Bates, Calkins launched in 1902 the… Read More

Boston: John P. Jewett and Company, 1858. First Expanded, Second Overall. 8vo, publisher's blue cloth, xii, 212 pp. Some foxing and light wear, very good. Very Good. This is the first expanded and the second overall edition and first edition thus of Benson's autobiography, expanded by Henson from the 1849 edition after Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin led to an increased interest in Henson's life. Henson would expand his work further and publish another edition in 1876 as interest in his life continued. A nice copy in the original publisher's binding, also included is a custom open-top clamshell case made of boards and marbled paper, overall very attractive and well preserved.

San Francisco, 1984. Poster measuring 23 x 17.5 inches. Fine condition. Fine. A poster designed for a Juneteenth musical celebration and parade in San Francisco in 1984 featuring a portrait of Isom Dart, characterized on the poster as "Outlaw, Gunfighter, Gang Leader, Cattlerustler, Community Protector." The eight participating bands include the Johnny Hartsman Blues Band, Demons of the Mind, Mystic Youth & I Skeeda, All the Kings Men, The Champion Band, Stellar, Imani, and the Galaxy Show Band. The event, promoted as an "Emancipation Celebration," spanned two weekend days in June at the San Francisco Rodeo. The poster indicates partial funding from the San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund. Isom (or Isam) Dart (1858-1900) was a prominent Black cowboy in the American West, embodying various roles such as ranch hand, bronco buster, horse thief, and vigilante. Born on a farm in Seguin, Texas, Dart worked at the renowned Goodnight Ranch, engaged in cattle drives to Wyoming, and met his demise on October 3,… Read More

Pocahantas: P.W. Poff, 1870. Albumen carte de visite photographs measuring 3 ½ x 2 ½ inches on slightly larger mounts. Some fading to some images, one in fine condition, good to very good overall. Very Good. A series of images taken by P.W. Poff, who also operated a studio at Bluefield, West Virginia. Pocahontas, in Tazewell County, was the site of a coal boom in the late nineteenth century when these pictures were taken. The large two-state coal region serviced by the Norfolk and Western Railway was named after the town. The images show a woman in formal dress, a pair of men standing together, and then two images of the same subject wearing a hat. There are no other clues as to the identification of the subjects, who very well may have been residents of West Virginia, as Pocohantas is situated on the border between the two states.

Baltimore and Worcester County, 1865. Two documents affixed at top edge, measuring 9 x 6 ¾ and 14 x 8 ½ inches. Tape repairs at folds, some with heavy clear tape, else excellent, good condition overall. With the embossed stamp of the Board of Claims to first document and two revenue stamps affixed. Good. A pair of documents relating to the emancipation through military service of Thomas Massey of Maryland and compensation to his enslaver, Joseph Godrey, of Worcester County, Virginia. Massey enlisted in the 9th Regiment of the USCT in 1864, and in accordance with Order 329 of the U.S. War Department, Godfrey received compensation, which was not to exceed $300. The present documents "To facilitate recruiting in the states of Maryland, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky, the War Department issued General Order No. 329 on October 3, 1863. Section 6 of the order stated that if any citizen should offer his or her slave for enlistment into the military service, that person would, "if such slave be… Read More

Newburgh: Abel A. Peck, 1860. 3 ½ x 2 ¼ albumen print on larger mount. Good. A carte-de-visite copy of a folk art painting probably painted c. 1820s-1830s. William Seymore (1786-1846) was a Methodist minister in Bellvale, New York. Edward Ruttenber and L.H. Clark, in their 1881 History of Orange County, describe him as follows: "In 1817, William Seymour, a colored man, was licensed to exhort; afterwards he was given a local preacher's license, and for many years preached in the vicinity of Bellvale. As one of the first laborers under God, his name is remembered by some still living in this place. His home, while here, was at the house of William Wisner. His portrait, gift of Mr. Samuel Wilson, is in the Bellvale parsonage. William Seymour died at the house of Isaac Still, in the town of Monroe. He retired for the night, after a very happy meeting during the evening in the place, and when called for breakfast he was found dead in the bed. The Master came, his work ended, and he entered into rest."… Read More

France: None Stated, 1900. Postcard measuring 5 ½ x 3 � inches. Fine condition. Fine. Woody Headspeth - known also as Woody Hadspath or Hedspath, as is written here - was an African-American cyclist who raced mostly in France due to racial prejudice in the United States. Headspeth raced until he was 50 years old in France, working as a mechanic on tracks, and sometimes for Victor Linart. He was in France at the time of the German occupation, and fled to Portugal, where he would die of typhus and tuberculosis. While we can't date this photograph exactly, Headspeth looks to be roughly the same age as other known photographs from his early period in Europe c. 1900-1910.

Asheville, 1920. Silver gelatin print measuring 8 x 10 inches. Some stains and wear, information on verso, good condition. Good. A photograph of the staff at Asheville's historic Grove Park Inn, taken c. 1910-1920 by the photographer Herbert W. Pelton, who operated a studio in Asheville and took many pictures around the region. Among the staff pictured is William Prince Brooks, who was active in the AME Zion church and who served as head waiter at the inn. The hotel was furnished by the Roycrofters and was built in the Arts and Crafts style. Still operation, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Pennsylvania and France, 1910. Five Cabinet Card Photographs and one Mounted Photograph taken at the L. Vasseur Studio in Paris. Generally fine condition, one cabinet card with chips to mount. Near Fine. A small but very compelling group of images recovered from a family collection, documenting an African-American family from Pennsylvania. Five of the images bear no identification, one states on verso: "Mrs. Harriet Oskins / died at the age / of 112." Most of the photographs are taken at various Pennsylvania locations including Philadelphia, Allentown, New Lebanon and Lehighton. We find record of an A.H. and McCleary Oskins and family listed as African-American in the Philadelphia census records from 1910. Of particular note is a photograph of an African- American serviceman and presumed family member taken at a Paris studio. It's a particularly striking image, and the first formal portrait of an African-American taken in a French studio during WWI that we have encountered. Overall a visually… Read More

Florida, 1890. Five bromide photographs measuring ;;4 3/4" by 4" mounted on a 13 ¾ x 10 ¾ album leaf. Excellent contrast, near fine overall. A collection of five images showing scenes along the Ocklawaha river in the 1890s. The Ocklawaha had been a popular steamboat route in the nineteenth century, though with the advent of the Oclala railroad in 1881, the route became less traveled. These images are from this later period, in the 1890s, making these images of African-American subjects in the area quite uncommon. Three of the images show subjects in front of their homes, a fourth shows several workers in a cotton field, and the final image shows an alligator on the shore of the river.

Nashville, 1890. Albumen photograph measuring 4 ½ x 6 ½ on larger mount. Some wear to mount, excellent condition overall with excellent contrast. Very Good. Alfred Jackson lived from 1812 to 1901 at the Hermitage in Nashville, Tennessee, first as an enslaved person, and later as a tenant farmer and guide to the Hermitage after its conversion to a museum. He spent the bulk of his life there taking care of equipment and horses, and may have raced horses as a jockey when he was younger. He was at Andrew Jackson's deathbed in 1845 when he died. This image, taken by an unknown photographer, shows him near the end of his life when he was working at the Hermitage, with the caption "Uncle Alfred, the guide" at the lower margin. We know of only one other image of Jackson in the trade, taken by Truss studios in 1888 and sold twice at auction in the past several years. Though we can't identify the photographer, a photograph from the same series as this one appears at the Hermitage.

Chicago: National Half Century Anniversary Exposition and Lincoln Jubilee, 1915. Felt pennant measuring 38 x 15 inches. Lettering slightly faded, very good condition overall. In celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Lincoln's death, the city of Chicago hosted the National Half Century Anniversary Exposition and Lincoln Jubilee, to celebrate emancipation and the cultural achievements of African-Americans. The event was held at the Coliseum on August 23 - September 22, 1915. The Illinois legislature appropriated $75,000 for the month-long celebration. Seventeen states appointed African American delegates to attend the event as representatives. Delegates from other countries participated as well. Bishop Samuel Fallows, the English-born clergyman and Union Army Colonel, spent a decade promoting and organizing the event, urging states such as New York to appoint representatives, and encouraging Chicago's religious leaders to attend. Several hundred pastors from African-American churches did attend,… Read More

Bakersfield: C.A. Nelson, 1890. Silver gelatin photograph measuring 5 ½ x 3 ⅞ inches on larger mount. Heavy wear to mount, some staining to margin of photograph, wear and creases and a closed tear to mat, fair to good overall. An incredible image of a young African-American man, finely dressed, taken by the photographer C.A. Nelson around the turn of the century. No identification, though someone has written "Romeo" on the verso. A remarkable and uncommon early portrait, unfortunately not in the best shape.

Tuskegee, 1930. Pair of silver gelatin prints measuring 9 ½ x 7 â…ž and 7 x 5 inches. Residue to versos from removal from scrapbook, tear and crease to larger image, very good contrast. Very Good. A pair of photographs from the prolific photographer Prentice H. Polk of a band led by Allen Moton, the son of Dr. Robert Moton, the president of Tuskegee University. Moton was, among other things, an acquaintance of Ralph Ellison's at Tuskegee, and may have been the inspiration for the car ride in Invisible Man, as Ellison recounted a particularly harrowing drive with Moton in his father's Cadillac with the pianist Hazel Harrison, in which Moton was trying to impress Hazelton with his knowledge of philosophy. According to an article in the Tuskegee Herald in 1956, Moton also played with Teddy Wilson at Tuskegee before Wilson joined Benny Goodman's band. The larger photograph has several of the band members identified in ink on the verso, as Allen Moton, Morris, Lollypop, Baker, Robert (likely Moton, also… Read More