“As we mark the 250th anniversary, our two landmark sales offer audiences a rare opportunity to reflect on nearly three centuries of objects that highlight the nation’s founding and enduring spirit,” commented Elizabeth Muir, Senior Specialist, Head of Americana and American Decorative Arts. “From a rare early portrait by Joshua Johnson to a sword once held by the Marquis de Lafayette, manuscripts from pivotal moments in our nation's history, and even a tea service owned and used by George Washington himself, Bonhams is pleased to present these and many other items, all of which celebrate the myriad voices that have expressed American values through crafted objects. Together, these objects illuminate the evolving beliefs and shifting ideals that have shaped American culture since its inception.”
In celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence, this month, Bonhams will present two landmark sales in New York and Massachusetts – Documenting America: Presidential, Printed, and Manuscript Americana, including Highlights from the Louise Taper Presidential Collection from June 14-23, and American Stories: Celebrating 250 Years of Independence on June 30 – highlighting the founding and enduring spirit of the nation. Together, the two sales span nearly three centuries of America through objects that embody the nation's history.
American Stories: Celebrating 250 Years of Independence
An early and fresh-to-market portrait by self-taught artist Joshua Johnson (c.1763–c.1825), one of the earliest Black professional painters in the United States, is among the standout highlights in the live American Stories: Celebrating 250 Years of Independence sale on June 30 in Massachusetts. Estimated at $80,000–120,000, the portrait, depicting a mother and child, Mrs. Thomas Donovan and Elinor Donovan, comes to auction for the first time after remaining in private hands for more than 70 years. Early portraits by Johnson are exceptionally scarce. This work is notable as one of the artist’s earliest known 18th‑century paintings, displaying the hallmarks of the “self‑taught genius,” including his delicate rendering of textiles, luminous paint handling, and the symbolic use of fruit. Just over 80 works have been attributed to Johnson, and his paintings are held in major institutions including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Another highlight of the sale is Columbus' First Landing in America, a tour de force by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze (1816–1868), one of the great history painters of the nineteenth century, estimated at $400,000 – $ 600,000. Long thought lost, the painting belongs to Leutze’s celebrated Columbus series, exemplifying his dramatic, theatrical approach to historical subjects. Equally notable is the Original Iwo Jima Monument by Felix de Weldon (1907–2003), estimated at $250,000– $ 450,000. Sculpted in 1945 as the first three‑dimensional interpretation of Joe Rosenthal’s iconic flag‑raising photograph, the 20‑foot monument captures one of the most enduring symbols of American courage and Marine Corps heroism, predating the larger Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, by nine years.
Other highlights rounding out the sale include a Rare Marquis de Lafayette presented Continental Light Infantry “USA” Sword and Scabbard, circa 1780, estimated at $50,000–70,000; a 19th‑century Carved Ship’s Figurehead, formerly in the collection of artist Andy Warhol (1928–1987), a prominent collector of Americana, estimated at $30,000 – 50,000; and a Rare 1776-1876 Centennial Sand Bottle by Andrew Clemens (1857–1894), estimated at $15,000 – 25,000.
Documenting America: Presidential, Printed, and Manuscript Americana, including Highlights from the Louise Taper Presidential Collection
Ahead of the live sale, Documenting America: Printed and Manuscript Americana, including Highlights from the Louise Taper Presidential Collection, will run online from June 14–23 in New York.
Comprising a tightly curated selection of historical Americana material, the sale brings together exceptional manuscripts, printed works, and presidential artifacts. The auction will feature highlights from the collection of Louise Taper, the renowned Los Angeles–based historian and noted Lincolniana collector. Among the standout works from her collection is former U.S. President George Washington’s 1782 Niderviller Service, estimated at $50,000 – 80,000. Presented to George and Martha Washington late in the Revolutionary War, the service is the only documented example of 18th‑century French porcelain made for an American recipient and a symbol of the Franco‑American alliance and Washington’s rising international stature. Exceptionally rare, this is believed to be the only example of the Washingtons’ Niderviller china ever to appear at auction, with other known pieces held in major institutional collections, including Tudor Place in Washington, D.C.
Outside of the collection, other highlights in the sale include a contemporary Official Copy of King Charles II’s 1676 Charter for the Colony of Virginia, signed by Robert Beverley, Clerk of the House of Burgesses, estimated at $15,000 – 25,000. Issued in the immediate aftermath of the first major armed uprising in the American colonies, the charter reflects the Crown’s effort to reassert control following the most serious challenge to royal authority in British America prior to the Revolution, foreshadowing the very grievances that would ignite the fight for independence a century later. Also of note is a rare 1786 promissory note signed by Ethan Allen (1738–1789), the Revolutionary War hero and founder of Vermont, estimated at $40,000 – 60,000. Signed just three years before his death, the document offers a vivid glimpse into Allen’s postwar life during the formative years of Vermont’s political identity. Manuscript material from this late period is notably scarce, making this an exceptional example of Allen’s financial and personal dealings in the early republic.
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