Lot 51WASHINGTON, GEORGE
Manuscript draft of a letter to William Constable. Mount Vernon: 7 November 1790. A draft of a letter on laid paper fully in Washington's hand, with dateline, salutation and docketing on verso, the main body about 9 lines with corrections and insertions by Washington, the draft unsigned, 6 x 8 inches (15 x 20 cm). Old album mounting to left edge, short closed split affecting a few lines, one old repair.

Provenance: Dr. Herbert Ernest Klingelhofer (1915-2015), collector and former President of the Manuscript Society

In this draft of a letter to New York goods merchant William Constable, President Washington thanks him for the delivery of letters and of other items via Gouverneur Morris for which payment is promised via Tobias Lear. According to a related letter between Washington and Lear, the goods in question are a set of cut glass decanters with silver plate wine coolers which Washington suggests be set on casters for easier passage between table guests. The fragment here shows the care Washington took with matters such as this as he collected and invented fine tableware for use in his Presidency and at Mount Vernon.


C Dr. Herbert E. Klingelhofer, former President of the Manuscript Society

Sold for $5,985
Estimate $4,000-6,000


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