IMPORTANT JOHN BELL 1860 CONSTITUTIONAL UNION PARTY HAND PAINTED TWO SIDED BANNER.
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Winning Bid:
$13,700.39
(Includes 18% Buyer's Premium)
Bidding Ended:
Tuesday, July 11, 2017 10:00:00 PM (20 Minute Clock Begins At Tuesday, July 11, 2017 10:00:00 PM)
Item Description
41x50" including 2.75" fringe. Hand painted silk w/"Gibbs & Smith Manufacturers" below main graphic. Herbert Collins lists only two John Bell campaign textiles in 'Threads Of History' both of which are flags. This is the first example of a banner of any size we have encountered. Reverse has Constitutional Union Party slogan "The Union, The Constitution, And The Enforcement Of The Laws" painted on blue silk. Front has a gold and crimson oval frame w/an allegorical image of Lady Liberty holding a child in her right arm w/a dog seated to her left and a fountain in the background. Liberty gazes pensively to her right while leaning left, holding her left hand flat exposing her palm in a halting motion appearing to be contemplating the instinct of fight-or-flight. Text in banners above and below read "Our Native Land, Onward To Her Rescue." Paint loss throughout consistent w/light use and deterioration from age and materials used in manufacturing. There are horizontal separations of silk that affect the painted areas most notably at three o'clock in the central image and at the edges of the text at top and bottom. None of these are greater than 6" long. Additionally, there are scattered and small areas of fabric losses w/over 95% remaining. Banner originally hung by three silk loops at top of which one remains. Overall Good. An amazing survivor that is worthy of the attention of a skilled textile conservationist. The Bell and Everett ticket united former members of the Know-Nothing party, some Southern Democrats and Whigs who believed they could prevent succession over the issues of slavery by adopting a platform "To Recognize No Political Principal Other Than The Constitution Of The Country, The Union Of The States, And The Enforcement Of The Laws." Bell and Everett did not campaign vigorously in 1860 but still managed to win Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. This banner is fresh to market having recently been discovered and is being sold as it was found. The image of Liberty is among the most outstanding metaphorical representations of the political landscape immediately before the Civil War that we have encountered in any format. A once in a lifetime opportunity to preserve a true American historical treasure.
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