Lot 31
  • 31

King, Jr., Dr. Martin Luther

Estimate
5,000 - 7,000 USD
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Description

  • ink and paper
Typed letter signed ("Martin L. King Jr."), 1 page (10 1/2 x 7 1/4 in.; 266 x 185 mm), Montgomery, January 7, 1959, to Dr. Helen D. Mayer, with the envelope; formerly folded, one tiny foxing in margin.

Condition

formerly folded, one tiny foxing in margin.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

On 20 September 1958 Izola Ware Curry, a mentally disturbed African-American woman, stabbed King in a Harlem department store as he autographed copies of Stride Toward Freedom, his memoir of the Montgomery bus protest. At Harlem Hospital, a team of physicians, including Dr. Mayer, successfully removed the letter opener used by the attacker, still lodged close to Dr. King’s heart. Dr. King spent most of October recuperating in New York.

Dr. King expresses here his warmest and most sincere thanks to Dr. Mayer: "I will long remember the many times that you came into my room with a warm smile and a radiant countenance expressing genuine concern for my welfare. I am sure that your thoughtful considerate gestures of goodwill went a long, long way to give me the strength to face the ordeals of that trying period."