Charles Keck (American, 1875-1951)

Jno. Williams Inc. Bronze Foundry, New York, 1913

USS Maine, 1913
cast from metal recovered from the USS Maine
marked C. Keck Sc. 1913 Cast by Jno. Williams Inc. NY to the front and Tablet No. 135 Charles Keck, Sculptor Cast by Jno. Williams Inc. Bronze Foundry New York 1913 to the reverse
17 5/8 x 12 7/8 inches.

Property from the Estate of Patricia Ann Black Smyth, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sold to Benefit Berea College, Berea, Kentucky, offered without reserve

Provenance:

Graham Gallery, New York

Note:

The USS Maine was destroyed on February 15, 1898 in Havana Harbor by what was believed to be a Spanish sea mine, killing more than half of the ship's crew. The vessel's sinking was one of the catalysts of the Spanish-American War, which began just a few months later in April of 1898.

Patricia Ann Black Smyth (1925-2018) was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the daughter of Ernest Bateman Black and Faye Bunyan Black. She attended Miss Crosby's School in Illinois and graduated from Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she was a lifetime member of the Wellesley Friends of the Library Organization. Mrs. Smyth also served as a member of the Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri, and was a long-time docent at the Art Institute of Chicago. Hindman is thrilled to present Mrs. Smyth’s refined and diverse collection, which will be sold without reserve to benefit Berea College in Berea, Kentucky.

Berea College was founded in 1855 with the express mission of educating both women and men of all racial backgrounds. It is the South’s first racially integrated and co-educational college and is guided by the motto from Acts 17:26: “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth.”

Only students with high academic promise and limited financial means are accepted, and every student receives a Tuition Promise Scholarship—no student pays tuition. As a Work College, every student works at least 10 hours per week to help pay for housing, meals and personal expenses. Berea students have the lowest amount of student debt in the country, and half graduate debt free.

Today, Berea serves over 1,600 students, the majority of which are from Kentucky and Appalachia, although its student body hails from over 40 states and 70 countries. Berea depends heavily on alumni and friends to continue to fulfill the no-tuition promise made to every student.