Description:

Reagan Ronald

Six ink drawings by Ronald Reagan, signed "To Miss Sam & Miss Bertha with great appreciation and very best regards - Ronald Reagan". 1 page, 8.5" x 11" with transmittal letter dated January 13, 1982 on White House stationery. The drawings include a horse's head, a self-portrait as a cowboy, and cartoon characters including Fu Manchu and Jiggs.

Reagan often gave his doodles to friends – including British PM Margaret Thatcher – and in love letters to Nancy. He had once considered becoming a professional illustrator. “Like his folksy stories, Reagan’s kitschy doodles – most of them cartoon renderings of himself as a bandana-wearing cowboy… – trigger warm associations with an idyllic American past. Many reveal a distinct aesthetic of cuteness,” (“All the Presidents’ Doodles: A history in sketches,” The Atlantic).

Our page includes a drawing of British author Sax Rohmer’s supervillain Fu Manchu and George McManus’ popular character Jiggs from the comic strip Bringing Up Father. The sisters Sisco and Reagan began a correspondence in 1972, when they “first reached Reagan with a request for assistance from the State of California on October 6, 1972. Reagan admired their desire to be independent and their pledge to take care of their brother, and made an effort to find state programs to help them in addition to the funds to which [their brother] Buzzy, was entitled. But he also helped them personally. ‘I am looking into the possibility of the rocking chair you mention and believe I can find one. In the meantime perhaps the enclosed will help buy a few of the things which give him pleasure.’ The Siscos made engraved leather goods to help support themselves, and Reagan admired their art and skills. He bought or received as gifts from them belts and other items. He showed their work to friends and owners of stores who might carry it.” ("Reagan: A Life in Letters", Skinner, et. al.)

Accompanied by a letter from Reagan’s personal secretary Kathy Osborn on White House stationery dated January 13, 1982 that reads: “The President has asked me to send the enclosed doodle collage to you. He sends his very best wishes to you both (and to Buzzy) for a very happy New Year.” In perfect condition and rare.

After a successful career in Hollywood, in which he starred in "Bedtime for Bonzo", "Hellcats of the Navy", "Cattle Queen of Montana", and "Knute Rockne", "All-American", (the latter being the source of his nickname “The Gipper,”), and the TV western "Death Valley Days", Reagan entered politics by campaigning for Senator Barry Goldwater (known as “Mr. Conservative”) during the latter’s 1964 presidential bid. Reagan, who had only switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican a few years earlier, began to gain prominence within the party. In 1966, he was nominated as the Republican candidate for governor of California and held that office for two terms. In 1980 Reagan defeated President Carter, becoming a popular two-term president. His mixture of liberal and conservative principles led to a reshaping of the Republican Party and a phenomenon known as the Reagan Democrat – Democrats who vote Republican because of their conservative stance on certain issues.

In the recent sale of Reagan items at Christie's on September 21, 2016, three similar lots of doodles were sold, yet they are inferior to the one presented here, as they were in pencil. Ours are in pen and include a lovely Presidential note signed. The prices of the Christie's lots respectively fetched $75,000, $68,750 and $100,000 or an average of $81,250. According to Christie's senior specialist for this auction, the doodles were not part of the Reagan household but were consigned unceremoniously by a relative.

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Bid Increments
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$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000