CINCINNATI – On June 15-16, Hindman’s summer American Historical Ephemera & Photography auction saw passionate bidding for early photographs and material relating to America’s westward expansion. A half plate daguerreotype of three gold miners realized $37,800, five times its estimate. The image of the three men epitomizes the gold rush itself, as their somewhat haggard appearance is offset by supremely resolute expressions behind their lit cigars. Absentee and Internet live bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.
Hindman Senior Specialist in American Historical Ephemera & Photography Katie Horstman said: “From early photography to manuscript archives, our team was excited to bring such a wide range of important historic memorabilia to auction. The strong prices achieved, particularly for historic images, demonstrate Hindman’s role as a market leader in the category of early photography.”
Overall, the auction realized $913,752, and the majority of lots sold within or above the high estimates.
A quarter plate daguerreotype thought to perhaps be the earliest known photograph of Fort Mackinac, Michigan nearly tripled its high estimate, selling for $31,500. Mackinac Island sits at a strategic choke point on the straits separating Lakes Michigan and Huron, and thus was the location of French, British and eventually American forts in the late 1700s and 1800s. The image offered in the auction provides a glimpse of the island as an active military outpost before it was declared the nation’s second National Park in 1875.
A quarter plate tintype of noted Civil War & Union Pacific Railroad photographer Andrew Joseph Russell (1830-1902) achieved $28,350 against an estimate of $2,500-$3,500. Russell’s evocative images of the vast military transport and logistics system of the Union Army contrasted with the battlefield views of Brady, O’Sullivan, and Gardner. They provided an unparalleled record of the Union War effort. This image, among other Russell photographs sold in this auction, was recently discovered in Illinois and purportedly descended in Russell’s family.
Civil War- and Abraham Lincoln-related highlights also included a large-format photograph of Lincoln’s second inauguration, which sold for $18,900. In addition, a photograph of Lincoln on the Antietam battlefield in October 1862 realized $12,600.
Also, Ernest Hemingway’s Rolleiflex MX camera soared past its $600-$800 estimate to realize $10,080.
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