Description:

Gilded Age
various but primarily New York, NY, ca. 1885-1900
Elegant Gilded Age NY Archive of Ephemera & Correspondence, Ca. 1885-1900, 90+ Pcs! Astor, Fish, Grant, Schermerhorn, Van Rensselaer & Other Who's Who Families
Archive
A remarkable archive of ephemera and correspondence from Gilded Age New York, ca. 1885-1900, totaling over 90 pieces. The group includes calling cards, printed invitations, autograph letters signed, and original transmittal envelopes, all addressed to Frederick Diodati (also spelled Diodate) Thompson (1850-1906), the travel writer and socialite. On display are beautiful examples of calligraphic printing, heraldic stationery, and Tiffany embossed envelopes, exchanged between Thompson and members of the New York elite, including members of the so-called Four Hundred. Expected wear and weathering, else near fine. Please refer to catalog photos for additional information related to condition. The average size of a letter in the collection is 5" x 7."

Thompson belonged to the literary world of fin-de-siècle New York. A writer, he traveled extensively around the world - to Canada, India, Japan, China, Egypt, and Europe - and described his experiences in a travelogue entitled "In the Track of the Sun: Readings from the Diary of a Globe Trotter" (New York: D. Appleton, 1893). Thompson received mail from a number of friends and acquaintances, either at his home at 25 Lafayette Place in Manhattan, or directed to him at the Union Club or the Knickerbocker Club. Looking through the archive is like looking through a city directory of the oldest, wealthiest, and most influential families of Old New York. The Van Rensselaer, de Peyster, Schermerhorn and other Knickerbocker clans are represented; as well as American soldiers and politicians, religious leaders, and foreign dignitaries.

The lot includes:

1. Approximately 28 calling cards, all printed, and some with manuscript additions.

2. About 16 printed invitations welcoming Thompson to various events, including weddings, dances, building dedications, dinners, the Badminton Club, and the Iphetonga Ball, an exclusive social event hosted in Brooklyn. The events took place in New York, Newport, Washington, D.C. and other cities.

3. We count 25 autograph letters signed, being either thank-you notes, RSVPs, or invitations to luncheons, drives, musical performances, or the opera.

4. There are also about 24 original transmittal envelopes, bearing the usual philatelic markings and handling wear.

A few celebrities mentioned in the correspondence include:

- "Miss Astor" on "Caroline" stationery paper, probably belonging to Caroline Astor Wilson before her marriage in 1884

- Francisca Aparicio de Barrios, former First Lady of Guatemala

- Sir Roderick Cameron, a Canadian businessman and member of the Four Hundred

- Julia Cruger, novelist wife of Stephen Van Rensselaer, the businessman and Civil War veteran

- Charles Anderson Dana, the journalist and newspaper editor

- Hamilton Fish, former U.S. Secretary of State, Governor of New York, U.S. Senator from New York

- "Lady Frankland," referring to Charlotte di Zerega, wife of Sir Frederick William Frankland, Baronet

- Col. Frederick D. Grant, oldest son of ex-President U.S. Grant, U.S. Minister to Austria-Hungary

- Oliver Harriman, a prominent businessman

- Henri Marie Charles de Laugier-Villars, Minister Plenipotentiary from France

- Sister Julia McGoarty, first American superior of the Order of the Sisters of Notre Dame of Namur

- Ann Elliott Huger Cottonet Schermerhorn, wife of lawyer and philanthropist William Colford Schermerhorn

This wonderful lot promises many more discoveries!
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This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: average size 5" x 7"
  • Medium: Archive

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October 30, 2024 10:00 AM EDT
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University Archives

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