Cherokee Nation

Broadside (9 7/8 x 7 7/8 in.; 250 x 200 mm, printed area: 6 7/8 x 5 1/4 in.; 176 x 132 mm), framed within a ruled, decorated border, printed at an angle; foldmarks, a few small stains and spots. Accompanied by 3 typed letters signed by Thomas W. Streeter, Paul North Rice, and Stanley Drake, all in a green loose-leaf binder.

Pilling, Bibliography of the Iroquoian Languages, p. 72; see Pilling, Bibliography of the Languages 777; not in Field or Ayer.

foldmarks, a few small stains and spots.
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.

Rare imprint of the Cherokee Alphabet.

The Cherokee syllabary was invented ca. 1821 by Sequoyah who is better known by his English name George Guess. An account of his work appeared in 1826 in the Missionary Herald (quoted by Pilling, Iroquian): "A form of alphabetical writing, invented by a Cherokee named George Guess, who does not speak English, is attracting great notice among the people generally. Having become acquainted with the principle of the alphabet ... this uninstructed man conceived the notion that he could express all the syllables in the Cherokee language by separate marks or characters."

The present version, one of 4 recorded copies, is attributed to a press established by the General Council of the Cherokee Nation in New Echota Georgia in 1827. This press published the first Native American newspaper, the Cherokee Phoenix (21 February 1828). It continued publication until May 1834, and the press was physically removed in 1835. The imprint was identified by John C. Wylie at the University of Virginia who is cited in an accompanying letter by Streeter: "Mr. Wylie is very clear that it is late Georgia [rather than early Oklahoma]. He says that one of the easiest ways for distinguishing between the two is the symbol for the "de" which is the same [as an example he had on approval} ... and different from the symbol in the example of Oklahoma Imprint no. 1 at the New York Public."

OCLC notes copies at Emory University, Boston Athenaeum and Cincinnati Public Library. The size there listed,  "33 x 20 cm." while larger than the present version, is not determinative since sheet sizes vary and bibliographers are inconsistent whether to use image size or sheet size. There is no copy recorded with the measurements of the present version. The only other New Echota imprint of the Cherokee Alphabet is an 1828 imprint thought to be detached from the Cherokee Phoenix (20 x 16 cm.).