Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. leads sale of African Americana at Swann
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., an early draft of the Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963. Estimate $15,000 to $25,000.
NEW YORK, NY
.- Printed & Manuscript African Americana is on offer at Swann Galleries Thursday, March 25. The sale will feature an exceptional offering of material with highlights from important figures and historical movements, including Frederick Douglass; slavery and abolition; the Civil Rights Movement, with items relating to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and the Black Panthers.
The sale is led by an early draft of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963, at $15,000 to $25,000. Additional material related to Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement include a reel-to-reel tape recording of Dr. King speaking to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference at a planning meeting for the Poor Peoples Campaign in January 1968 ($10,000-15,000); a pennant from the 1963 March on
February 11, 2021
Arabella Chapman, pictured above, was a Black music teacher from New York. Images from her family photo albums appear in Framing Identity. // Photograph courtesy of Arabella Chapman carte-de-visite albums (1878-[1890s]), William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan (Finding Aid).With its latest virtual exhibit, the University of Michigan is exploring how 19th century Black Americans used the power of photography to express their identity and grow their communities.
Now available for view online,
Framing Identity: Representations of Empowerment and Resilience in the Black Experience is inspired by Frederick Douglass’ view on picture-making. Often considered the most photographed American of the 19th century, the abolitionist once said that picture-making is the secret to poets, performers, and prophets’ success.