Photographic portrait inscribed by Whitman with four lines from “Salut au Monde!”. Toronto: Edy Brothers, 1880

A rare portrait with a Leaves of Grass quotation in Whitman’s hand. The photogenic and self-promoting poet sat for (and gave away) many photographs, but very rarely did he inscribe them with his verse. Here he writes lines from his poem “Salut au Monde!”—his “calling card to the world, as well as one of his most successful compositions.”

$75,000

Portrait of Walt Whitman holding a butterfly. Philadelphia, [early 1880s?]

A beloved Whitman photograph, framed with a large, bold signature of the poet.

$4,500

Fabulous Albumen Photograph depicting Richardson and his great-grandson as they appeared in the Statue of Liberty Parade in New York. New York: Benjamin Richardson, c. 1886

Benjamin Richardson, the great collector of patriotic Americana, owned and rode in George Washington’s carriage in the Statue of Liberty dedication paradise in New York in 1886.

$3,500

Splendid album containing 50 watercolors, 70 photographs, and fine calligraphic selections of poems and prose. Mostly Possingworth and environs, 1879 - ca. 1905

This magnificent, imposing album was made by a prominent late-Victorian hostess, patron of the arts, and gifted amateur artist. Helen Rose Huth was the wife of the banker Louis Huth. The Huths were major art collectors, and Helen sat for both George Frederic Watts and James Abbott McNeill Whistler who painted the celebrated “Arrangement in Black, No. 2: Portrait of Mrs Louis Huth.”

$16,000

splendid large portrait of John Burroughs. Photographic Portrait by Pach Brothers., 1890s

John Burroughs (1837-1921) was, after Henry David Thoreau, the greatest American nature essayist. He played an important role in the development of he American conservation movement. Burroughs is also remembered for his close friendship with Walt Whitman, whom he resembled in old age.

$3,800

Liberty’s Torch in Madison Square Park. no publisher, negative ca. 1876, made from a print, late 19th century.

The torch of the Statue of Liberty was exhibited in Madison Square Park, New York to raise funds for the statue’s completion.  The torch remained in the park from 1876 through 1882.

$1,800

An album of 32 photographs of Yosemite and the American West. Various places, c. 1890s

This beautiful album contains many splendid views of the scenic wonders of Yosemite. Subjects include the many magnificent falls, the Mariposa Grove of sequoias, and the great geological formations. At least two of the views in this collection were taken by Carleton Watkins. Those for which attribution to Watkins has been confirmed are singled out below, but this collection merits further investigation to identify Watkins photographs.

$12,000

Collection of Ten Photographs from Mooney’s Pioneering Investigations of the Ghost Dance and Other Native American Circle Dances. Various places, c. 1892-93

The rare and important collection documents the famous Ghost Dance and related circle dances soon after Wounded Knee. The collection testifies to the tragic demise of the Native American spiritual and cultural practices during the tumultuous Ghost Dance period. These photographs were taken by James Mooney (1861-1921), an anthropologist with the Bureau of American Ethnology. He left Washington in late 1890 to investigate the potentially incendiary Ghost Dance movement. Mooney’s rare portrait of Wovoka is one highlight of the collection. Mooney’s Ghost Dance photographs are of the greatest rarity in the market. We can trace no others having appeared for sale.

$20,000

Collection of 23 Great Baltimore Fire photographs. Baltimore, 1904

The Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 destroyed 1500 buildings and damaged another 1000, bringing property loss from the disaster to an estimated $100 million. It remains the third most devastating fire in the United States history, surprised only by Chicago (1871) and San Francisco (1906). This remarkable series of photographs documents the destruction. In many photographs people stand on the street surveying the destruction, sometimes with water still trained on the smoldering ruins.

$1,800

Coney Island Panorama. Brooklyn, 1907

This is a splendid panorama of Coney Island taken in 1907.

$4,500