Housing Works’ Jan. 27 Early American Prints sale benefits NYC AIDS charity
Map: Robert Sayer and John Bennett, London, 1776, the seat of action between the British and American forces, or a plan of the western part of Long Island, with the engagement of the 27th August, 1776 between the King’s forces and the Americans. Est. $5,000-$8,000. Image courtesy Housing Works.
NEW YORK – On Wednesday, Jan. 27, celebrity auctioneer Kathleen Guzman will preside over Housing Works’ second and final auction of early American prints to fund the charity’s ongoing programs to assist low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.
The auction includes dozens of desirable prints by the quintessential American engravers Currier and Ives. All will be available to preview starting Monday, Jan. 25, at the Gramercy Housing Works venue at 157 E. 23rd Street in Manhattan. Eighty lots containing a total of 90 items will be auctioned.
Just in time for President’s Day, the auction will include numerous portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, as well as horseracing prints, pastoral scenes, and events and maps. One noteworthy map, The Battle of Long Island, 1776 by cartographer Samuel Holland, sold through a prominent Philadelphia auction house in 2007 for $14,000.
The first Housing Works auction of early American prints, which was held last October, pointed toward a resurgence of interest in the genre. The inventory of 56 lots earned an astonishing $40,000.
“I was gratified by the response to the first auction,” Guzman said, noting that the current economic climate is an ideal one in which to buy art at below-market prices. “I encourage all collectors who love early American prints to bid in the auction to score great deals while you still can. You’ll be raising money for a fantastic organization at the same time.”
New York’s Swann Auction Galleries and the collectibles Web site Worthpoint.com are contributing support to Early American Prints, Part II. The Works – Housing Works’ catering company – will provide light hors d’oeuvres and beverages.
The Early American Prints auction events were prompted by an anonymous donation of nearly 300 engravings and prints. Many were originally sold by the famed Kennedy Gallery.
Guzman is a world-renowned auctioneer who appears frequently on PBS Television’s Antiques Roadshow, has worked for Christie’s and Sotheby’s, and has auctioned everything from Michael Jackson’s silver glove to Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz. She has been volunteering at Housing Works since January 2009. WNYC, New York Public Radio, profiled her last month.
A silent auction of a separate selection of prints will take place on Housing Works Thrift Shops’ auction site, Shophousingworks.com, starting midnight, Friday, Jan. 22 and closing at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3. Online auction items will be featured in the windows of Housing Works’ Gramercy Thrift Shop on Friday, Sept. 25.
All proceeds from the auctions will go toward proving life-saving services such as housing, medical care, meals and job training to homeless and low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS. For additional information on any item in the sale, or to learn more about Housing Works, contact David Thorpe by calling 212-966-0466 ext. 1128 or e-mailing Thorpe@housingworks.org.
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
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ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Hudson River at West Point, American School, mid 19th century, in the manner of William Henry Bartlett, oil on canvas. Est. $500-$700. Image courtesy Housing Works.
Crossing the Score: A Dead Heat, Currier & Ives, publisher/ E. Maurer, artist Ethan Allen & Mate, hand-colored engraving. Est. $400-$600. Image courtesy Housing Works.
American Farmyard-Morning, 1857, Currier & Ives, publisher/ F. F. Palmer, artist, hand-colored engraving. Est. $500-$700. Image courtesy Housing Works.
The Straw Yard-Winter, Currier & Ives, publisher, late 19th century, hand-colored engraving. Est. $400-$600. Image courtesy Housing Works.
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