Nye & Company Auctioneers’ online Chic and Antique Estate Treasures auction slated for Wednesday, April 13th, features nearly 500 lots, a carefully curated mix of fine and decorative arts spanning the 18th century to the present day, including an exceptionally rare group of American photography. The auction will begin promptly at 10 am Eastern time.

The group of historical American photography includes what is believed to be one of less than a half dozen known sets of pictures documenting the Liberty Bell’s transcontinental 1915 tour of the United States. This symbol of our nation’s freedom was an incredibly popular attraction at the turn of the 20th century. In fact, it was estimated that nearly 5 million people saw the bell on its trip by train out West and an equal number saw it on its return trip back to Philadelphia. Its popularity had no bounds and this rare set of photographs is an exceptional historical archive.

There is also a circa 1910 collection of glass slides, negatives and magic lantern slides depicting various scenes in the Canadian Rockies. Some of the images appear in Benjamin W. Mitchell’s book Trail Life in the Canadian Rockies. The sale also features a large group of albumen prints of New York City and its environs from about circa 1885. Many of the images and views have never been seen before and offer a rare glimpse into our past and the grandeur of the gilded age.

Not to be out done, there is a nice selection of 20th century negatives depicting two of America’s most beloved celebrities: the legendary movie star Marilyn Monroe, from photos taken on the set of the 1954 film River of No Return, plus negatives of the king of rock ‘n’ roll, Elvis Presley.

The depth and breadth of the fine art in this auction comprises works from the 18th century right up through the 20th century. Highlights include a wonderfully framed and expansive oil painting depicting a home on the Great Bay of Portsmouth, New Hampshire by Frank Henry Shapleigh. This work captures the grandness of the coast of New Hampshire during the late 19th century.

Walt Kuhn and Bernard Cathelin created beautiful floral still lifes, both perfect reminders of spring. Charles Camoin is represented by a Fauvist cityscape. Giovanni Boldini is also featured with his oil titled The Music Lesson. There is also a superb watercolor by Juluisz Kossak of General Kosciuszko, the Polish-Lithuanian military leader who helped the U.S. colonists win the Revolutionary War.

For those who prefer more contemporary works, there are a couple street signs by the famed street artist “Banksy,” plus a gem of a drawing by Keith Haring. Continuing on the heels of our success with Haring untitled subway drawings, there are two being offered in this sale. The self-taught/outsider artist, Purvis Young is also represented in this sale with a few paintings being deaccessioned from the NAMITS Collection.

Decorative arts also make up a strong component of the auction. Similar to the fine arts, the furniture and objets d’art range from works created in the 18th century through the 21st century. Highlights include an early set of twelve German Rococo carved mahogany dining chairs, once in the collection of Esmond Bradley Martin, the great-grandson of steel magnate Henry Phipps.

For those who prefer American furniture, there is set of five New York Chippendale dining chairs descended in the family of Cornelia Haring Jones (1741-1821) and Samuel Jones (1734-1819) of New York City and Oyster Bay, Long Island. The sixth chair of this set resides in the Yale University Art Gallery. There are also a couple pieces of Samuel Yellin wrought-iron, which come directly from the family of one of the foremen of the Yellin Metalworks.

Coming out of a New Jersey collection are a pair of Classical mahogany swivel-top card tables attributed to Isaac Vose and Son of Boston. English furniture is also well represented with a bookcase marked Gillow & Co., and a mahogany wardrobe marked Osborne Cottage, 1872, the home of Queen Victoria’s daughter, Princess Beatrice.

If you prefer the Belle Epoque period of the late 19th /early 20th century, this sale will not disappoint. There are a number of pieces coming from a New Jersey collection that include a superb selection of ormolu mounted Paris porcelains, French bronzes and Lalique glass objects. Complementing this material nicely is a fine selection of silver from well-known makers and firms coming from a Mid-Western collection.