A costume supplier presented this sterling silver statuette to director D.W. Griffith commemorating his 1915 film ‘The Birth of a Nation.’ Marked for Shreve & Co., the statuette measures 12 1/2 x 14 x 5 inches. Estimate: $5,000-$7,000. Rago Arts and Auction image.
The statuette, hidden in an attic for decades, emerged in a house clean-out. The house had descended in a family that had owned vaudeville houses and movie theaters. The owners were advised to scrap the statuette for the silver, but they saw what Rago saw: On one side of its base is written “The Clansman” and on the other “To David Wark Griffith in Appreciation from Robert Goldstein.”
This statuette was a presentation piece to D.W. Griffith, the director of the 1915 silent film The Birth of a Nation, from the man who designed the costumes for the film. The Clansman is the name of the book on which The Birth of a Nation was based. It was commissioned by Goldstein from Shreve and Co., the fine California silversmith and bears its mark.
“I wasn’t sure about selling it at first. It’s a terrifying image and perhaps more so for being beautifully made. But it’s a part of the history of American cinema and of America itself.” said David Rago. “The Birth of a Nation is one of the most important films ever made because Griffith invented a vocabulary of cinema still used today. It’s also incredibly racist. This statuette is testament to a time when white supremacy and its evils could be freely glorified. That’s not something we want to forget.”
Rago has decided to place the “The Clansman” statuette at auction on Sunday, Sept. 22. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
“Given the subject, my partners and I hope to see the statuette either in a museum that deals with issues of race and tolerance or film history. So do the owners,” said Miriam Tucker, Rago partner. “We have spoken with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and sent information to a number of institutions that focus on African American history and identity.”
Adding to the narrative weight of this artifact is the incredible story of the giver, Robert Goldstein, who was put in prison by the U.S. government just a few years after the release of The Birth of Nation. To read about Goldstein’s downfall and demise, search online for the Slate.com story titled “The Unluckiest Man in Movie History.”
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
A costume supplier presented this sterling silver statuette to director D.W. Griffith commemorating his 1915 film ‘The Birth of a Nation.’ Marked for Shreve & Co., the statuette measures 12 1/2 x 14 x 5 inches. Estimate: $5,000-$7,000. Rago Arts and Auction image.
