Exceedingly rare presidential election handbill to be offered at Freeman's
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Friday, October 11, 2024


Exceedingly rare presidential election handbill to be offered at Freeman's
Offered at an estimate of $15,000-25,000, this handbill is the only known surviving example of its kind, and is a significant artifact from an election where any extant handbills are rare.



PHILADELPHIA, PA.- When Thomas Jefferson and John Adams went head-to-head in the 1796 United States presidential election, it was the first time that the young nation’s presidential succession system was put to the test, following George Washington’s two uncontested terms. This extremely rare campaign handbill, discovered in Maryland and on offer in Freeman’s Books and Manuscripts auction on February 17, represents the first time such campaign material was used to influence voters on a national scale.

Offered at an estimate of $15,000-25,000, this handbill is the only known surviving example of its kind, and is a significant artifact from an election where any extant handbills are rare.

The pro-Jefferson text takes the form of a catechism and poses ten questions to its reader and offers ten answers in turn. It casts Adams and his Federalist colleagues as monarchists and “miscreants” and informs its audience that it was Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence, not commonly known at the time. Described as “one of the most economical and effective pro-Jefferson texts produced anywhere in 1796” by historian Jeffrey L. Pasley, this handbill “taught the gospel of Thomas Jefferson as it would be passed down for generations.”

While the tactic of denigrating the personal and political character of the opposing candidate is familiar to contemporary audiences, the present handbill illustrates that it has been in use in American politics since almost the beginning of the nation’s founding. At the time of the text’s printing (likely the fall of 1796), the American voter was coming into consciousness as a partisan subject aligning with one of the two nascent political parties, the Democratic-Republicans or the Federalists. It was written plainly enough to gain traction with a lay audience, and in a sufficiently inflammatory tone as to stake out a clear position.

Handbills such as the present example would have been distributed largely by hand, particularly in a key battleground state such as Maryland. Newspapers throughout the rest of country also reprinted the text, including its first known appearance, in the Maryland Herald and Eastern Shore Intelligencer, on November 8, 1796, as well as in Philadelphia’s own Aurora General Advertiser, on November 18. The handbill was discovered 225 years later, in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland.

A significant piece of American history, the handbill’s survival and discovery is remarkable.

Freeman’s February 17 auction is led by a rare printing of a Northwest Territory Land Ordinance from 1785, which established America’s public land system (estimate: $80,000-120,000); other fine Americana items to be offered include a lock of President George Washington’s hair, cut shortly after his first inauguration (estimate: $5,000-8,000), a rare contemporary portrait of Washington printed on silk (estimate: $5,000-8,000), the first Catholic Bible printed in the United States, in 1790 (estimate: $20,000-30,000), and Christoph Sauer’s Revolutionary War-era “Gun-Wad” bible, printed in 1776 (estimate: $1,500-2,500).










Today's News

January 25, 2022

MFA Boston returns Salomon van Ruysdael painting to the heirs of Ferenc Chorin

Frick Collection acquires Rosenberg & Stiebel archive

Jill Newhouse Gallery opens an exhibition of nineteen works on paper by Jean Francois Millet

A tricky first case for the man who wrote the rules on Nazi looted art

Stedelijk closes 125th anniversary with launch of Szine, a publication presenting new research

Discovery of new work by one of the most important British artists of the 20th century

Museums partner to launch online Duchamp Research Portal

MAMbo - Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna opens an exhibition of works by Italo Zuffi

Exceedingly rare presidential election handbill to be offered at Freeman's

Gladstone Gallery opens an exhibition of new works by Sharon Lockhart

Solo exhibition of works by Liora Kaplan opens at CCA Tel Aviv

Julian Lennon offers first NFTs of Beatles iconography and historic personal items from his father

Casey Kaplan exhibits a selection of seven paintings created between 2000 and 2021 by Giorgio Griffa

Sotheby's to exclusively auction 200 Louis Vuitton and Nike "Air Force 1" by Virgil Abloh sneakers for charity

Rizzoli to publish 'Wayne Thiebaud: Updated Edition'

New book tells the fascinating life story of collector Manuela Alexejew

Art Museum Riga Bourse opens an exhibition of works by Georg Wilhelm Timm

Prinseps to host the third edition of The Nationalism Book Auction

Utah Museum of Contemporary Art partners with artist collective For Freedoms for new exhibition

The Lenbachhaus announes new Curator Modern Art and Head of Collection Blauer Reiter

Sworders to offer photos from the Profumo Affair, the mother of all political scandals

Light Holding by Jenna Gribbon opens at MASSIMODECARLO London

James Maraniss, librettist of long-silent opera, dies at 76

Donna Barba Higuera wins Newbery Medal for 'The Last Cuentista'

Ranking the Top 5 Most Popular Online Casino Games

An Artist From Kazakhstan Nazym Rahimberdieva Shares her Secret for a Perfect Painting

CBD and CBDA: What's The Difference And Which Is Best




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Holistic Dentist
Abogado de accidentes

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful