Auction 739 April.

Glossy 10 x 8 photo of Bill Clinton meeting with constituents during his days as governor of Arkansas, signed and inscribed in black felt tip, "To Ernie Preska, with thanks, Bill Clinton, 7/13/83.” In fine condition.

TLS, one page, 6.5 x 9.5, personal letterhead, June 17, 1932. Letter to an admirer, in part: "The picture which I have autographed was probably taken at the White House, south grounds, during a reception which we held there each year for the disabled soldiers of the hospitals about Washington…I am quite sure it has no connection with Colonel Lindbergh, otherwise, he would be standing beside Mrs. Coolidge and me." Includes the 2.5 x 3.25 photo of Coolidge meeting soldiers on the grounds, signed in fountain pen by Coolidge; another man, Floyd Whitmarsh, has signed at the top. Matted and framed together to an overall size of 11.5 x 14.5. In fine condition.

Partly-printed vellum DS as president, one page, 13.75 x 17.75, August 26, 1850. President Fillmore appoints George A. H. Blake as a “Major in the First Regiment of Dragoons.” Signed at the conclusion by Millard Fillmore, and countersigned by Secretary of War Charles M. Conrad. The original War Department seal remains affixed to the upper left corner. In very good to fine condition, with some faint staining and overall fading to the handwritten portions, all of which remain fully legible.

George Alexander Hamilton Blake (1810–1884) was a career U.S. Army cavalry officer whose service spanned more than three decades and three major conflicts. Commissioned a first lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Dragoons in 1836, he first saw combat in the Second Seminole War in Florida before distinguishing himself in the Mexican–American War, fighting in major engagements including Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Molino del Rey, Chapultepec, and the capture of Mexico City, where his gallantry earned him a brevet promotion to major. In the 1850s he served on the western frontier, helping establish Fort Massachusetts in present-day Colorado and participating in campaigns against Native American tribes while commanding cavalry expeditions across the Southwest. During the Civil War he rose to colonel of the 1st U.S. Cavalry and commanded a brigade in the Army of the Potomac during the Peninsula Campaign, where he was wounded at Gaines’s Mill; he later served in staff and administrative roles through the Gettysburg campaign. For his wartime service he received brevet promotions to brigadier general and major general before retiring from the army in 1870.

LS signed “J. A. Garfield,” one page, 5 x 5, October 5, 1880. Addressed from Mentor, Ohio, a letter to Ohio businessman Henry Sherwin, co-founder of the Sherwin-Williams Co., in full: “I sent Dr. Kitchen today a package of documents in care of yourself. Won’t you please see that they are safely delivered and oblige.” In very good to fine condition, with trimmed edges, truncating the bottom of the signature.

As the Republican nominee, James A. Garfield would win the United States presidential election just a month later on November 2, 1880, defeating Democrat Winfield Scott Hancock. In the end, the popular vote totals of the two main candidates were separated by 1,898 votes (0.11%), the smallest victory in the national popular vote ever recorded. In the electoral college, however, Garfield's victory was much larger (214 to 155) – he won the tipping point state of New York by 21,033 votes (1.91%).

Official White House card, 4.25 x 2.75, neatly signed in bold fountain pen by Warren G. Harding. In fine condition, with some faint toning, and minor mounting remnants on the back. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as "NM-MT 8."

Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 20 x 16, March 8, 1922. President Harding appoints Merlin O'Neill as "Lieutenant (junior grade) in the Coast Guard of the United States." Neatly signed at the conclusion in ink by President Warren G. Harding and countersigned by Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon. The gold foil seal affixed at the lower left remains fully intact. Affixed to a same-size mount and in fine condition, with small tape remnants to the edges.

Merlin O’Neill (1898–1981) rose through the ranks to become a senior officer in the United States Coast Guard, most notably serving as the tenth Commandant of the service from January 1950 to June 1954. During World War II, O’Neill commanded the Coast Guard‑manned attack transport USS Leonard Wood, participating in Allied amphibious operations in North Africa, Sicily, and the Pacific campaigns. For his leadership in Sicily he was awarded the Legion of Merit.

Partly-printed DS as president, signed “Benj. Harrison,” one page, 8 x 10, July 30, 1892. President Harrison authorizes and directs the Secretary of State to cause the Seal of the United States to be affixed to "my Proclamation warning persons in Wyoming in the resistance of the laws by reason of unlawful obstructions, combinations, and assemblages, to disperse and retire peaceably to their respective homes on or before Wednesday the third day of August next." Boldly signed at the conclusion in ink by President Benjamin Harrison. In fine condition.

President Harrison's proclamation was issued against the backdrop of the Johnson County War, a violent 'range war' and law-and-order crisis in Wyoming that lasted from 1889 to 1893. Large cattle interests accused smaller ranchers and homesteaders of cattle rustling and banded together to suppress them with force. Armed confrontations had escalated to the point that civil authorities were unable to effectively enforce the law, prompting Wyoming’s governor to request federal assistance. In response, President Harrison deployed U.S. troops and formally warned those engaged in unlawful resistance to disperse, aiming to restore order in a newly admitted Western state.

Engraving of the North Portico of the White House, 4.75 x 3.75, signed in bold ink, “Benj. Harrison.” In fine condition, with light edge toning, and minor mounting remnants on the back. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as “NM - MT 8.”

Partly-printed DS as president, signed “R. B. Hayes,” one page, 20.75 x 16, May 31, 1880. President Hayes appoints “W. H. Parkhurst of Providence, Rhode Island…to be Agent for the Indians of the Lower Brulé Agency in Dakota," for a term of four years.” Signed at the conclusion by Rutherford B. Hayes as president, and countersigned by the Secretary of the Interior, Carl Schurz. The lower left corner is embossed with the Department of the Interior seal.
In very good to fine condition, with intersecting folds, three file holes, edge toning, and a slice near the bottom edge, none of which affect the signature.

The Lower Brulé Agency on the Missouri River in present-day South Dakota administered one of the bands of the Lakota Sioux. The appointment falls at a charged moment: the Great Sioux War had ended in 1877 with the confinement of the Lakota to the Great Sioux Reservation following the Little Bighorn and Crazy Horse's surrender and death. The Grant-era Peace Policy — placing Indian agents under the supervision of religious denominations — was then being dismantled, and Hayes's administration was returning agents to presidential appointment.

Carl Schurz, the German-born reform politician who served as Hayes's Secretary of the Interior from 1877 to 1881, was one of the more serious advocates for Indian welfare in the period, opposing the worst abuses of the reservation system while stopping well short of recognizing tribal sovereignty. Schurz's countersignature on a Dakota Territory Indian agency appointment is itself a document of the reformist wing of Gilded Age Indian policy. Within a decade, the Great Sioux Reservation would be broken up by the Dawes Act and the Sioux land cessions of 1889.

Partly-printed DS as president, signed “R. B. Hayes,” one page, 7.75 x 9.75, May 28, 1878. President Hayes authorizes and directs the Secretary of State to cause the Seal of the United States to be affixed to "my ratification of the Metric Convention between the United States and certain other countries, signed at Paris, May 20, 1875." Signed at the conclusion by President Rutherford B. Hayes. In fine condition.

The 1875 'Treaty of the Metre' was an international agreement signed in Paris on May 20, 1875, by representatives of 17 countries to unify and standardize measurements worldwide. It established the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), along with its governing bodies—the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) and the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM)—to coordinate international metrology and maintain consistent measurement standards, beginning with length and mass and later expanding to all physical quantities. This treaty created a permanent organizational structure for nations to collaborate on measurement systems, laying the foundation for what would evolve into the modern International System of Units (SI).

Partly-printed DS as president, signed “R. B. Hayes,” one page, 18.5 x 14.5, February 20, 1878. President Hayes appoints John T. Collins as "Collector of Customs for the district of Brunswick, in the State of Georgia." Signed at the conclusion in ink by President Rutherford B. Hayes and countersigned by Secretary of the Treasury John Sherman. Double-matted and framed to an overall size of 25 x 21. In very good to fine condition, with light creasing and scattered dampstaining.

Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 20 x 14.75, July 11, 1932. President Hoover appoints Stanford Bates of Massachusetts as "a Trustee of the National Training School for Boys." Signed at the conclusion in ink by President Herbert Hoover and countersigned by Attorney General William D. Mitchell. The gold foil seal affixed to the lower left remains fully intact. Affixed to a same-size mount and in fine condition, with slightly trimmed edges.

Sanford Bates (1884–1872) was a politician and public administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons from 1930 to 1937. The National Training School For Boys, located in the Fort Lincoln area of Washington, D.C., was a federal juvenile correctional institution for offenders under the age of seventeen.

Partly-printed vellum DS as president, one page, 15.25 x 19.25, June 5, 1866. President Johnson appoints Yates Stirling as "a Master in the Navy." Boldly signed at the conclusion in ink by President Andrew Johnson and countersigned by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles. The orange seal affixed at the bottom remains fully intact. In fine condition.

Yates Stirling (1843–1929) was a distinguished United States Navy officer whose 42-year career began in the Civil War and saw him rise through sea and shore commands to lead the United States Asiatic Fleet as rear admiral before retiring in 1905. A Baltimore native and Annapolis graduate, he served with distinction in Civil War blockading operations and later commanded major squadrons and naval stations, embodying the evolution of the U.S. Navy in the late 19th century.

Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 8.5 x 11, May 6, 1868. President Johnson authorizes and directs the Secretary of State to affix the Seal of the United States to "a Warrant (form No. 3) for the pardon of William H. Wright." Signed at the conclusion by President Andrew Johnson. In fine condition, with some light creasing and soiling.

Crisp ink signature, "Andrew Johnson,” on an off-white 5 x 8.25 sheet, handsomely double-matted and framed with an engraved portrait to an overall size of 17 x 13.75. In very fine condition. Johnson served as vice president during Abraham Lincoln's second administration, becoming president upon Lincoln's assassination.

Official gilt-edged menu from a White House state dinner on Monday, May 4, 1964, 4.25 x 6.5, stamped in gilt with the presidential seal, signed in black felt tip by Lyndon B. Johnson. In very fine condition.

Vintage matte-finish 5.5 x 7.25 photo of Johnson in a suit and tie, affixed to a 9 x 12 mount, signed and inscribed on the mount in fountain pen, "To Benjamin Muse—with appreciation for your work on the Committee on Equal Opportunity in the Armed Forces, 1963–65. Lyndon B. Johnson.” In very good to fine condition, with scattered light foxing, and two small areas of surface loss, to the mount.

A veteran of World War I and World War II, Benjamin Muse was a journalist and head of the Southern Regional Council’s Southern Leadership Project. He served on the President’s Committee on Equal Opportunity in the Armed Forces, formed in 1962 by John F. Kennedy to investigate 'continuing discrimination against military personnel and their families on the basis of race, color, creed, or national origin' and 'to eliminate this source of hardship and embarrassment for the members of our Armed Forces.'

Vintage matte-finish 10.75 x 14 photo of Johnson shaking hands, signed and inscribed in the lower border in fountain pen, "To Norblet Engels, with appreciation and high regard from his friend, Lyndon B. Johnson.” Affixed to a same-size mount and in very good to fine condition, with creasing at the top, crossing Johnson's face.

TLS signed “Jackie,” one page, 5.5 x 8.5, The Viking Press, Inc. Publishers letterhead, October 26, 1976. Letter to Leslie Tillett, in full: "Many thanks for your letter. Yes, please send the books on Pre-Columbian patterns and on Navaho sand paintings—I'll be happy to take a look at them." In fine condition. After her husband's assassination, Jackie married Aristotle Onassis and went to work as a book editor, first at Viking Press and then at Doubleday Publishing House.

Leslie and D. D. Tillett were a mid-20th-century husband-and-wife artist/design team best known for their innovative, hand-printed custom textiles and fabrics.

ALS signed “Jackie,” two pages, 5.75 x 7.75, personal letterhead, May 8, 1988. Handwritten letter to D. D. Tillett, in full: "Seth's resumé is so impressive and his screenplay affecting. I wish I knew some magic way to make good things happen for him. Several of my children's friends—4 at least—want to do the same thing and one feels for them, it is such a hard world to break into. One had a script accepted to be tried out at Sun Dance, one is in an ashram, the others have 'temporary' jobs. I don't know anyone in the movie business, though I do know that some studios have people on the lookout for scripts in N.Y., but apparently that is not the place to be—and independent films or film companies are the ones they pin their hopes on. But it is a network I don't know…I feel so badly that I can't offer any constructive suggestion. I will keep the script and keep my ears open, but that sounds so inadequate. I will ask around, and perhaps I can find the name of someone to send it to." In very fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in Kennedy's own hand.

Leslie and D. D. Tillett were a mid-20th-century husband-and-wife artist/design team best known for their innovative, hand-printed custom textiles and fabrics.

Postal cover with an affixed stamp honoring Supreme Court justice Charles Evans Hughes, canceled at Groton, Connecticut, on May 8, 1962, signed in blue ballpoint by Jacqueline Kennedy. Also signed in the upper left corner in fountain pen by a naval officer. In fine condition, with a small area of label remnants in the address area.

Historic 14.5˝ x 12˝ swatch of black mourning fabric left over from the material used to decorate the White House following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. In fine condition.

Accompanied by a detailed 1983 letter of provenance on White House letterhead from Norma Arata, addressed to noted collector Raleigh DeGeer Amyx, in part: "It is with sadness that I present to you a piece of black cambric…which was left over from the material used in the East Room of the White House immediately following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963.

Larry Arata was brought to the White House two years earlier at the personal request of the First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, to participate in the total restoration and upholstering of each piece of White House furniture.

When the assassination occurred, Mrs. Kennedy made almost immediate contact with the White House, and in a kind, firm and controlled manner, she requested that the exterior and interior of the White House be decorated as closely as possible to the way it was when President Lincoln lay in state in the East Room in 1865. My husband, Larry and I arrived at the White House before 8:00 p.m., on November 22, 1963. We knew that we only had 100 yards of black cambric at the White House. This was not nearly enough. Larry determined immediately what kind of material should be used. It had to be dark and thin so that it could be easily draped. We found one upholsterer who had enough additional black cambric.

Larry and I then began our work. We draped the black cambric over the fireplaces, drapes, chandliers, mantel pieces, windows, the White House exterior and the area in which our beloved President would lay in state. We worked all night and up until 4:30 am, on Nov. 23. At that moment a dramatic event took place. Larry and I were still working in the East Room. The First Lady entered the room with Robert F. Kennedy, the Attorney General, at her side. There were no more than a dozen people in the East Room as the President's body arrived. When I saw the First Lady, she was still wearing her pink skirt with blood stains on it. Larry and I did not approach her. We felt it would have been inappropriate. We wanted to spare her the confrontation of two more grieving friends at this almost unbearable moment. Mrs. Kennedy left shortly after this with Robert Kennedy. He slept in the Lincoln Bedroom. She slept in the President's bed. At 10:00 am, the same morning, she returned to the East Room as we had prepared it for her a ten o'clock Mass. The rest is history. It was all so sad."

TLS as a Massachusetts senator, signed “John,” one page, 6.5 x 6.5, United States Senate letterhead, February 27, 1953. Letter to William McConnor, in full: “I am happy to let you know that I have been able to include you on my mailing list for the Congressional Record. Within a few days you should start receiving the daily issues of the Congressional Record.” Matted and framed to an overall size of 11.25 x 11.25. In fine condition. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from JSA.

Red-and-white silk flag fragments, 7˝ x 1˝, removed from a 36-star flag that adorned one of the cars in the Lincoln funeral train while in Indianapolis. Encapsulated in plastic and affixed to a descriptive mount, double-matted and framed to an overall size of 11 x 14. Flags were made locally for the train's stops while on its journey from Washington to Springfield, Illinois. It arrived in Indianapolis at 7:00 AM on April 30, 1865, and departed at midnight. Following the departure, the flags were given to prominent Indianapolis families.

Complete set of five pictorial postal covers entitled "Champion Prize Envelope – Lincoln & Davis in 5 Rounds," published by J. H. Tingley of New York City in 1861. The cartoons depict U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate President Jefferson Davis as boxers fighting in a five-round prize match, symbolizing the conflict between the Union and the Confederacy during the Civil War. Across the sequence of envelopes, Lincoln defeats Davis, serving as pro-Union political satire meant to encourage support for the Union cause. In overall fine condition, with uniform light toning.