Americana
Rare Americana Books, Manuscripts & More for Sale Online
If you’re looking for first edition books celebrating the American experience, you’ve come to the right place. At Raptis Rare Books we maintain an extensive collection of rare Americana, books, manuscripts and more. Browse through our entire collection online, use our sorting tools or search to find exactly what you’re looking for then call with any questions you may have or order online today.
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"Second only to Gilbert Stuart's Athenaeum portrait": Rembrandt Peale's "George Washington, Patriae Pater"
PEALE, Rembrandt. [George Washington].
“George Washington, Patriae Pater” Rembrandt Peale Original Oil Painting.
Rembrandt Peale's famed painted portrait of George Washington, "George Washington, Patriae Pater", considered by many second only to Gilbert Stuart's iconic Athenaeum portrait of the first president and variations of which hang in the Oval Office and Old Senate Chamber. Oil on canvas. In 1795, 17-year-old Rembrandt Peale was invited by his father, famed American painter Charles Willson Peale, to accompany him to a portrait sitting with President George Washington. Although young Rembrandt was not entirely satisfied with the resulting portrait of the aging Washington, it was well-received and made his debut as a portraitist. In 1822, after a trip…
Price: $350,000.00 Item Number: 135084
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First octavo edition, presentation copy of John James Audubon's The Birds of America; warmly inscribed by him in both volumes I and II to Lydia E. E. Greene
AUDUBON, John James.
The Birds of America, From Drawings Made In The United States And Their Territories.
New York: Published by J. J. Audubon. Philadelphia: J. B. Chevalier, 1840-1844.
First octavo edition of Audubon's landmark work; one of the most spectacular collections of ornithological prints ever produced. Royal octavo, 7 volumes bound in full 19th-century morocco by P. Low of Boston with their ticket, gilt titles and ruling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, ribbons bound in. Illustrated with 500 hand-colored lithographed plates after Audubon by W. E. Hitchcock, R. Trembly and others, printed and colored by J. T. Bowen, wood-engraved anatomical diagrams in text. Presentation copy, inscribed by John James Audubon on…
Price: $200,000.00 Item Number: 143567
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"Nothing in bronze or stone could be a more perfect image than this statue of the living Washington": Fine bronze bust of George Washington after the famed Houdon bust of 1785
HOUDON, Jean-Antoine. [George Washington].
Jean-Antoine Houdon George Washington Bronze Bust.
Fine bronze bust of George Washington, after the famed Houdon bust of 1785 which is considered the most accurate depiction of Washington. Bronze, mounted on a marble pedestal. French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon was revered for his life-like portrayals of numerous notable eighteenth-century philosophers, inventors, and political figures including Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Napoléon Bonaparte, and George Washington. In 1784, the Virginia General Assembly commissioned a statue of George Washington "to be of the finest marble and the best workmanship," necessitating a European craftsman. The Governor of Virginia gave the responsibility of selecting the artist to Thomas Jefferson,…
Price: $30,000.00 Item Number: 123102
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"I have never advocated war except as a means of peace": Rare Henry Shrady Ulysses S. Grant Bronze Bust
GRANT, Ulysses S.] Henry Merwin Shrady.
Ulysses S. Grant Bronze Bust.
Original bronze bust of Ulysses S. Grant by Henry Shrady, the famed sculptor of the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial on the west front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Mounted on socle and base, the entire piece measures 18.5 inches in height. In fine condition. An exceptional piece of Americana.
Price: $22,500.00 Item Number: 102885
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First edition of the second book on architecture published in America: Owen Biddle's The Young Carpenter's Assistant
BIDDLE, Owen.
The Young Carpenter’s Assistant; Or, A System Of Architecture, Adapted To The Style Of Building In The United States.
Philadelphia: Benjamin Johnson, 1805.
First edition of the second book on architecture published in America, second only to Asher Benjamin's Country Builder's Assistant' published in 1797( Shaw & Shoemaker, 8018). Quarto, bound in full calf, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, gilt ruled to the front and rear panels, illustrated with 44 engraved plates, 2 folding. In very good condition. Scarce with only 2 copies having appeared at auction in the past 50 years.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 117672
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Bust of Abraham Lincoln by famed artist George Bissell; One of only three examples
[ABRAHAM LINCOLN] GEORGE BISSELL,.
Bust of Abraham Lincoln.
Patinated bronze portrait bust of Abraham Lincoln, marked "GEO. E. BISSELL Sc GORHAM CO. FOUNDERS copyrighted," and stamped "G 47." This is one of a series of popular desktop busts of Lincoln produced by the Gorham foundry in the early part of the 20th century. In fine condition. The piece measures 18 inches in height. An exceptional piece of American history.
Price: $15,000.00 Item Number: 133797
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"In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten, then he who continues the attack wins": Rare Henry Kirke Bush-Brown Bust of Ulysses S. Grant as the first general of the united states army
BUSH-BROWN, Henry Kirke. [Ulysses S. Grant].
Ulysses S. Grant Bronze Bust.
New York: Henry-Bonnard Bronze Co., [c. 1885].
Attractive bronze bust of of Ulysses S. Grant as General of the Army by famed American sculptor Henry Kirke Bush-Brown. The adopted nephew of sculptor Henry Kirke Brown, Henry Kirke Bush-Brown was revered for his accurate realist sculptures illustrating American history. He produced three equestrian bronze sculptures erected at the Gettysburg battlefield depicting General George Mead (the victor at Gettysburg), General John F. Reynolds (killed in action July 1, 1863), and General John Sedgwick (the senior most Union casualty of the American Civil War). In addition, Bush-Brown made a bust of Abraham Lincoln, dedicated in 1912 as part of the…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 125381
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Bust of Abraham Lincoln by famed artist George Bissell
[ABRAHAM LINCOLN] GEORGE BISSELL,.
Bust of Abraham Lincoln.
Patinated bronze cast of Abraham Lincoln by George Bissell, one of only three commissioned by Ralph Newman for THE USS AL. Boldly signed by the artist in the back Geo. E. Bissell Sc. George Bissell was an important American sculptor working in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He produced two full length statues of Lincoln: one in Edinburgh and one in Clermont, Iowa. According to the letter from Lincoln College Curator Paul Beaver, the present item is one of three copies made from the school's original Bissell bronze bust of Lincoln by the Van Dyke Galleries of Chicago…
Price: $12,500.00 Item Number: 131044
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Nineteenth Century Portrait of George Washington
STUART, Gilbert. (George Washington).
George Washington Portrait.
Portrait of George Washington after Gilbert Stuart, American School, late 19th century oil on canvas portrait of President George Washington, after the Athaneum portrait by Gilbert Stuart. Housed in a Victorian giltwood frame with floral carved corner ornaments and oval opening. The entire piece measures 35 inches by 40 inches. An exceptional piece.
Price: $9,800.00 Item Number: 78002
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Fine porcelain bust of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson
[JEFFERSON, Thomas].
Thomas Jefferson Bust.
Fine porcelain bust of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson. Parian porcelain mounted on a marble base. In fine condition. The bust measures 28.25 inches in height. An exceptional presentation.
Price: $7,800.00 Item Number: 123933
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Rare Ostrich Egg engraved with a portrait of George Washington and the Great Seal of the United States; from the library of Lloyd Millard Bentsen
[WASHINGTON, George].
George Washington and Great Seal of the United States Engraved Ostrich Egg.
Rare ostrich egg engraved with a portrait of George Washington, the Washington Coat of Arms, the Great Seal of the United States, and the Masonic compass and trowel. Mounted on a decorative brass stand. From the collection of former four-term United States Senator Lloyd Millard Bentsen who ran as the Democratic Party nominee for vice president in 1988 on the Michael Dukakis ticket and served as the the 69th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Bill Clinton. As a primary architect of the Clinton economic plan, Bentsen contributed to a $500 billion reduction in the deficit, launching the…
Price: $7,500.00 Item Number: 119684
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Rare original typographic portrait of Abraham Lincoln composed of his Emancipation Proclamation
LINCLON, Abraham; Designed and written by W.H. Pratt. Lithograph by A. Hageboeck.
Abraham Lincoln Emancipation Proclamation Typographic Portrait.
Davenport, Iowa: 1865.
Original typographic portrait of Abraham Lincoln composed of his Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863. In near fine condition. Double matted and framed, the entire piece measures 26.5 inches by 19 inches. An exceptional piece, a rare and desirable piece of Americana.
Price: $6,000.00 Item Number: 95831
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"The first full-sized marble statue in New England": Fine terracotta pedestrian statue of George Washington, after Sir Francis Chantrey's Washington as a Roman Senator, 1826
CHANTREY, Sir Francis. [George Washington].
Washington as a Roman Senator, 1826. [Sir Francis Chantrey George Washington Terracotta Pedestrian Statue].
c. 1850.
Fine terracotta statue of President George Washington, after Sir Francis Chantrey's Washington as a Roman Senator, 1826. Terracotta. In 1818, the Washington Monument Association commissioned Francis Chantrey to sculpt a pedestrian statue of George Washington in white marble. Unveiled in Doric Hall of the Massachusetts State House in November 1827, it was the first sculpture to be placed in the then new State House and the first full-sized marble statue in New England. In fine condition. The statue measures 14.75 inches in height.
Price: $5,500.00 Item Number: 123164
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Rare Declaration of Independence Engraved Copper Plaque
[KOPPEL, Charles; John Trumbull].
Declaration of Independence Engraved Copper Plaque.
1776.
Rare mid-19th century engraved copper plaque replicating John Trumbull's celebrated oil painting, Declaration of Independence. Engraved "The Declaration of Independence. Congress 4th July 1776 Philadelphia." Housed in the original elaborately carved frame with the original paper label listing the sitters' names. In near fine condition.
Price: $4,800.00 Item Number: 126940
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RARE NINETEENTH CENTURY PORTRAIT OF PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN
GARDNER, Alexander. [Abraham Lincoln].
Abraham Lincoln Portrait.
c. 1860.
Rare original painting of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. After a photograph by Civil War photographer Alexander Gardner. Scottish photographer Alexander Gardner immigrated to the United States in 1856 where he became best known for his photographs of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln, and the execution of the conspirators to Lincoln's assassination. In near fine condition. In a period frame. The entire piece measures 20.75 by 16.75 inches. Rare and desirable.
Price: $3,500.00 Item Number: 95830
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Rare first edition of History of Los Angeles County, California, with Illustrations Descriptive of Its Scenery, Residences, Fine Blocks, Manufactories, from Original Sketches by Artists of the Highest Ability
WILSON, John Albert.
History of Los Angeles County, California, with Illustrations Descriptive of Its Scenery, Residences, Fine Blocks, Manufactories, from Original Sketches by Artists of the Highest Ability.
Oakland: Thompson & West, 1880.
First edition of this early work on Los Angeles county. Quarto, original leather backed cloth, gilt titles. Illustrated with 86 lithographed plates (two of them double-page); hand-colored lithographed map. In very good condition. From the library of the Ebell of Los Angeles, inscription. Rare in the original binding.
Price: $2,850.00 Item Number: 120454
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"Oh south winds have long memories": First edition of Howard Weeden's Bandanna Ballads; signed and inscribed three times by Joel Chandler Harris who contributed the introduction
WEEDEN, Howard. [Maria Howard Weeden; Joel Chandler Harris].
Bandanna Ballads.
New York: Doubleday & McClure Company, 1899.
First edition of Maria Howard Weeden's best-known collection of poems. Octavo, original cloth decorated in gilt, illustrated by the author, tissue-guarded frontispiece. Introduction by Joel Chandler Harris. Presentation copy, inscribed by Harris on the flyleaf, "Faithfully yours: Joel Chandler Harris Atlanta Ga.: 6 September 1900." Additionally signed by him on the title page and at the conclusion of the introduction. In fine condition. Housed in a custom clamshell box. Rare and desirable.
Price: $2,850.00 Item Number: 133067
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Handsome Bronze Bust of President Abraham Lincoln
MAVCHI, J. [Abraham Lincoln].
Bronze Bust of Abraham Lincoln.
Bust length portrait bronze of President Abraham Lincoln, signed and numbered by the artist, "J. Mavchi 09/100." Mounted on a square black granite or marble base. The base measures 10.5 inches in height. The entire piece with the base measures 12.75 inches in height. In fine condition.
Price: $2,800.00 Item Number: 145312
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Rare forty-five star American Flag; commemorating the statehood of OKLAHOMA
Forty-Five Star American Flag.
[c. 1896].
Rare forty-five star American Flag. The forty-five star American Flag was in use between July 4, 1896 when the state of Utah was admitted into the Union and July 3, 1908 when Oklahoma was admitted as the 46th state. In near fine condition. The flag measures 58 inches by 114 inches.
Price: $2,800.00 Item Number: 133095