Freelance Historian

The World of Historical Manuscripts and Ephemera

Things I learned this week

Steven | September 25, 2008

One of the neatest parts about this job is learning new things all the time.
While researching lots this week, I learned;

A “matross” is the old term for artillery crewman- he helped load, fire and sponge out the cannon.
“Diorama” was originally traveling theater presentation using painted linen panels and lighting to produce what was for then [...]

1956 Mickey Mouse Club Magazine

Steven | September 17, 2008

I was photographing this this morning, and something was bugging me about it. Then I realized what it was- the kids’ holsters are empty, and they’re hiding the fact with their hands.  I guess political correctness is older than we think.
(The magazine is in wonderful shape, though. You can find it listed tonight on the [...]

Only YOU…

Steven | September 15, 2008

Folks of a “certain age” can immediately finish the saying in the title of this post, and probably remember getting the comic book in school that told the story of the real-life Smokey Bear, a black bear cub found up a burned tree after a forest fire, his paws and hindquarters severely burned.
This original pencil [...]

CNet Founder Sued by Sotheby’s

Steven | September 14, 2008

Edward Hicks’ Peaceable Kingdom with the Leopard of Serenity” set a world record for Americana folk art as well as a record for the artist’s works when it sold this May in a Sotheby’s auction for $9.6 million. Now, the buyer of this and two other paintings in the same sale, Internet millionaire and CNet [...]

Illustrated Belasco Theater Envelope 1907

Steven | September 5, 2008

One of the joys of my job is finding the history behind the items I am sent. In this case, we’re looking at an illustrated postal envelope sent to famed conductor Charles Feleky in 1907, from the Belasco Theater. Seems straightforward at first, doesn’t it? However, this would have been incorrectly described by someone that [...]

Sotheby’s Expects Up to $55 Million in Qing Dynasty Auction

Steven | September 3, 2008

Reuters reports on the upcoming Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong of the treasures of a Chinese Emperor:
A singular collection of imperial treasures once owned by China’s powerful Qianlong emperor including jade dragon seals, military scrolls and a sword will be offered by Sotheby’s this autumn in its Hong Kong sale.
Sotheby’s “Legacies [...]