Inside the Auction | The Robert L. McKay Collection of Manuscripts
Our upcoming Fine Books and Manuscripts auction features an impressive collection of manuscripts from the private collection of Robert L. McKay, which we will be offered as a single session in our May 1st sale. This extensive collection includes signed manuscripts from Walt Whitman, Claude Monet, Peter Illich Tchaikovsky, Napoleon I, Charles Darwin, Janis Joplin, John James Audubon and George Washington, among many others.
One highlight from the collection is an autograph manuscript signed by George Washington, written from his home in Mount Vernon in 1799 to Samuel M. Fox, President of the Bank of Pennsylvania. Manuscripts written by Washington from his home in Mount Vernon are rare, as he spent much of his time away in his roles as head of the Continental Army and President. He wrote the letter shortly after his retirement from political life and only a few months before he died in December 1799.
Another highlight is a two-page autograph letter signed with an original hand-addressed envelope from Janis Joplin to her then-boyfriend Peter J. de Blanc. Joplin and Le Blanc met and began dating in 1965 while they both lived in San Francisco. After they both left San Francisco later that year, Joplin for Texas and de Blanc for New York, they continued their relationship and got engaged. This intense and emotional letter, written in the fall of 1965, portends the end of their tempestuous relationship. Joplin begs de Blanc to respond: “Guess I’ll go cry a little more and then mail these letters.” Their relationship ended shortly after, and in May 1966, Joplin returned to San Francisco where she joined Big Brother & The Holding Company.
Continue exploring the Fine Books and Manuscripts sale by viewing all lots online and browsing the digital catalogue.