Drawings John Held Ely Kahn (1 results)
More imagesPublished by New York, 1932
- Softcover
- First Edition
- Manuscript
Seller: White Fox Rare Books and Antiques, ABAA/ILAB, New York, NY, U.S.A.White Fox Rare Books and Antiques, ABAA/ILAB
Contact seller3-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
£ 496.76
£ 5.19 shippingShips within U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Wraps. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. A souvenir for a High Society event that also involved the cream of the architectural field. Held at the brand new ultra-luxe Waldorf Astoria, which had opened its doors at its new address on October 1, 1931. Scarce -- no copies listed on OCLC First Search. 4to. 30 by 22 cm. 112 pp., p…lus wraps. With many advertisements, especially for architectural firms and developers, and these include often photographs and drawings of recently completed buildings or ones in the offing which were to become iconic -- the RCA Building, as an example. Virtually all the ads relate to the building trades in one way or another, including ads for brick companies, heating or furnaces, etc. Art Deco is the salient design, although there are photos of private mansions in a range of styles found in upper crust suburbs to this day. The event itself was comprised of four "Episodes" in New York history. These were skits, two of the Episodes having more than one scene, in which the players, drawn from the Upper Crust of New York Society, both Old Knickerbocker and newer moneyed members (surnames such as Pennoyer, Schieffelin, de Peyster, van Alen), a few descendants of the characters (van Rensselaer), but also at least one famous actress, that being Beatrice Lillie, with were decked out in period costume. The scenes re-enacted the arrival of the Half Moon in 1609, the purchase of Ma-na-ha-ta by Peter Minuet in 1626, Captain Kidd in New York in 1696, the Declaration of Independence as announced in City Hall Park, July 9, 1776, Washington's Inauguration in 1789 and the Inaugural Ball following. We would also mention that Tony Sarg was one of the people who put together the skits! Finally, as befitting a Society event program, there are copious lists of members of the various organizations and/or contributors to the event. Unlike today, these lists provide the addresses of the listees, many of whom were among the wealthiest New Yorkers of the day. First half dozen leaves have a distinct crease mark diagonally by the front corner. Front cover has light soiling and the like. Spine extremities with closed tears and wear. Clean within, and overall a VG copy.
