Description:

Charles Lindbergh
Birmingham, AL, ca. 1935
Lindbergh Kidnapping: 8 Original Courtroom Sketches by L. Pierre Bottemer
Archive

A collection of eight pencil courtroom sketches made during the Lindbergh kidnapping trial by L. Pierre Bottemer. All on thick cardstock measuring 8" x 10", Birmingham, ca. 1935. Sketched in pencil by Bottemer, with each signed, captioned, and dated in his hand. The collection includes sketches of Bruno Hauptman, Justice Thomas Trenchard, O. A. Hochmuth, Charles Lindbergh, Attorney General David Wilentz, Sheriff John Curtis, Betty Gow, and Chief Counsel for Hauptman Edward Reilly. They are accompanied by a newspaper clipping from the "Birmingham News-Age Herald" which features the sketches and identifies Botterman as a "Birmingham Artist." Botterman has inscribed at the top margin "I was not from Birmingham used to go to Lovemans Dept Store." The sketches have varying degrees of toning, soiling, and wear. Some with small tears at the edges and bumped corners. Some with dampstaining or staining from removed paperclips. Pinholes at corners. Still very good. Toning and dampstaining to the newspaper clipping. Some tears and loss, with repairs made in places with tape.

On March 1, 1932, one of the most sensational cases in the annals of crime was set in motion with the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's baby boy, Charles Lindbergh, Jr., from his home in Hopewell, New Jersey. The Lindbergh kidnapping gripped the national headlines for nearly ten weeks before its tragic conclusion: the discovery of the young boy's body just five miles from his home, on May 12th. With a nation clamoring for justice, Bruno Hauptmann, a German immigrant, was eventually arrested for the crime. Hauptmann's trial began in January 1935 and quickly became a media circus. Both Charles and Anne Lindbergh took the stand as witnesses, as did the ransom go-between, John F. Condon (known as "Jafsie"). In one of the most highly publicized and controversial trials in American history, Hauptmann was later found guilty of murder in the death of the Lindbergh baby and executed for the crime on April 3, 1936. However, the circumstances surrounding the trial still leaves many wondering if justice was carried out, inspiring conspiracy theories that have haunted this case since its beginning.

L. Pierre Bottemer (born Lawrence Phillip Bottemer) was a self-promoted itinerant American artist who gained fame for his sketched images from the trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann (the Lindbergh Kidnapping) for the Sunday editions of the Birmingham News Age-Herald. Following the trial he traveled widely in the U.S. until 1950, when he established a studio-home in Laguna Beach. There he painted many seascapes and coastal scenes, often including sunsets. In the 1970s he maintained a studio in Pompano Beach, Florida.

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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: 8" x 10"
  • Medium: Archive

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