(Estate of John F. Lewis). Frederick II ("Der Grosse"), King of Prussia. Documents Signed. Dossier of Manuscripts Signed, 1740-1777.

The lot above just a few of the many important manuscripts which John Frederick Lewis, a highly regarded philanthropist, lawyer, and early 20th-century collector, used as primary source material for a comprehensive genealogy of his forbears. His chronological narrative was meant to chart the various world-historical developments and circumstances which ultimately led to the confluence of Mr. Lewis' Continental ancestors and those of the Mayflower Colony, and it extended even to his own lifetime. Housed in altogether fifteen portfolio volumes, the project was the culmination of decades of painstaking research and discerning collecting of the highest order. Most of the manuscripts in Mr. Lewis' collection have not appeared at auction for a century, or more, as evidenced by the clipped catalog descriptions which accompany them.