Lot 5
  • 5

Adams, John Quincy

Estimate
5,000 - 7,000 USD
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Description

  • paper and ink
Oration on the Life and Character of Gilbert Motier de Lafayette, Delivered at the Request of Both Houses of the Congress of the United States ... on the 31st December, 1834. Washington, D.C.: Gales and Seaton, 1835

8vo (8 3/8 x 5 in.; 214 x 130). Eight-page appendix recording Congressional actions related to the death of Lafayette; light toning, particularly to margins, quire 10 browned, scattered foxing in quire 11. Contemporary straight-grained morocco, blue-green endpapers; old stains and gouges to boards, skillfully rebacked in period style, endpapers chipped and stained along margins.

Provenance

James M.H. Beale (presentation note from J.Q.Adams tipped in before title-page) — John K. Thompson (presentation inscription by his grandfather James M.H. Beale on the title-page). Acquisition: William Reese

Literature

Sabin 295

Condition

8vo (8 3/8 x 5 in.; 214 x 130). Eight-page appendix recording Congressional actions related to the death of Lafayette; light toning, particularly to margins, quire 10 browned, scattered foxing in quire 11. Contemporary straight-grained morocco, blue-green endpapers; old stains and gouges to boards, skillfully rebacked in period style, endpapers chipped and stained along margins.
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

Presentation copy of Adams's speech eulogizing the Revolutionary War hero, the Marquis de Lafayette, who died 20 May 1834. Adams inscribed a leaf tipped in before the title: "James M.H. Beale | from John Quincy Adams." James Madison Beale was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia from 1833 to 1837 and again from 1849–1853.

Adams presents a review of Lafayette's contributions to American independence and his activities in the years after the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, especially his involvement in the French Revolution and with the governments that followed.