Acorn's owner, Danielle
Carter, and Dr William Godfrey flank the only extant portrait
of General Bradstreet.
Historic
Bradstreet Collection Featured at Acorn
Rare Portrait Fetches $40,000 from a Connecticut
Dealer
CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. - Acorn Auction Gallery offered the recently
discovered General John Bradstreet collection for sale on
Thursday, August 17. The collection, one of tremendous historical
significance, consisted of letters, documents, deeds, maps and
the only known portrait of the General. The collection, en masse,
was found in a Schenectady, N.Y. attic. Auction items had been
lovingly collected and preserved by Bradstreet's granddaughter,
Martha Bradstreet (1780-1871). The oil on canvas portrait, in
original gold gilt frame, was attributed to Thomas McIlworth,
circa 1760. The portrait was considered the centerpiece of this
sale.
General John Baptiste Bradstreet was an adventurer whom the
English thought was American and the Americans thought was
British. Bradstreet, who was actually born in the Acadia region
of Canada, kept his Canadian citizenship close to his vest.
Although he was once the Governor of Newfoundland, Bradstreet is
best known for his role in the French and Indian Wars and his
important worldwide connections. His good friend and cohort was
Philip Schuyler, but Bradstreet was also known to rub elbows with
the likes of William Pitt and Thomas Gage.
Acorn had the great fortune to have Bradstreet expert, Dr William
Godfrey of Mount Allison University (NB), on site for an auction
reception the night before. Godfrey is the author of the "most
definitive book" on John Bradstreet and considers the General a
"spirited adventurer who was able to work both sides of the
ocean." He explained that Bradstreet was not above helping
himself to the till every time he captured a fort or arranged a
rations deal.
When Godfrey finished the Bradstreet book, his publishers asked
for a picture of the General. Godfrey had to decline, explaining
that no pictures of the General existed. Little did he know that
one would surface in the summer of 2000.
There was no pre-auction estimate for the Bradstreet painting, as
there was no other picture of the General and thus nothing to
gauge an estimate against. The painting came up early in the
fast-paced auction. Museums, dealers and private collectors all
took a stab at the oil on canvas. As lot #43, the picture quickly
climbed in $1,000 increments to a final sale price of $40,000.
The work was won by "the guy in the purple shirt," New Haven
dealer William Reese.
When asked about the price, Reese said the $40,000 he paid was no
bargain. But many local collectors were surprised the painting
had not gone higher. Godfrey was a little disappointed that the
portrait went to a dealer and not to a museum. Reese, who has
been in the antiques business for 26 years, plans on having the
painting cleaned and preserved. He hopes that some of the
original grime and dirt might have somehow protected the painting
through the years.
After the Bradstreet painting, Aaron Burr and his letters
garnered the most attention. At times, the Burr letters seemed to
over shadow the Bradstreet family papers. Autograph collector and
dealer, George Hollingsworth was eagerly bidding on anything
Burr.
On the phone, a California dealer didn't want to miss out on the
signed Burr documents. The first Burr lot contained two signed
business letters. They went quickly for $1,600. Lot #11, a
"charming letter" written and signed by Burr, sold for $1,200.
Three Burr letters mentioning the Williamstown meeting brought
$1,900. But the Burr collectors were only testing the waters with
these pieces. After a few lots, Burr prices began to climb.
Three 1823 letters written and signed by Burr, in which he
mentions Martha Bradstreet and the New Hope homestead, went for
$2,000 to a phone bidder. Lot #52, with its four Burr signatures
and letter proposing a Congressional act of relief for Martha
Bradstreet, didn't last long at $2,200. Five 1828-30 Burr
letters, with signatures written by his secretary, J. Pelletreau,
went to George Hollingsworth for $2,600. A humorous Aaron Burr
letter pertaining to a political fable about turkeys and ducks
brought a high bid of $2,750. Three signed Burr letters
(1824-29), one in which he consoles Martha Bradstreet, went to a
phone bidder for $2,400.
Women's letters from Martha Bradstreet included a missive to Mary
Farley, Indian daughter of Sir William Johnson and Molly Brandt.
The letters got knocked down for a quick $1,300. Martha's 1817
divorce decree from Matthew Codd on parchment, along with the Act
of Congress allowing her to change her name back to Bradstreet,
brought $600. Not surprisingly, Martha was considered by many to
be an early feminist.
The 1824-1864 John Tillinghast letters to Martha Bradstreet, 250
in number, concerning gossip, cholera and overtures, went for a
surprising $3,200. Tillinghast was a New York Bar Librarian and
author. A series of six 1815-1819 Thomas Cloney (leader of the
Irish Rebellion) letters to Martha didn't last long either. They
went for $2,200. The Francis Scott Key letter to Martha left the
hall for $1,200.
General Bradstreet's 1774 will, signed only two days before he
died of cirrhosis, was taken home for $1,200. A 1768 Bradstreet
Indian deed handled by Philip Schuyler followed with a phone bid
of $1,100. A collection of Civil War letters from S.E. Crandall
of the 1st Minnesota Battery 4th Division to mother-in-law,
Phoebe Bradstreet, regarding Sherman, Atlanta, and Savannah
vanished for $2,300. A group of Brantz Mayer letters written to
Martha Bradstreet during the Civil War went home for $1,000.
Maps were also popular items with the Acorn crowd. A 1835 Desorby
litho map of the city of Utica showing the Courthouse and Female
Institute left the hall early at $1,900. An 1835 hand-colored
"Planesphere" map of the Constellations depicting mythological
creatures seemed a steal at $300. Some small survey maps of the
Mohawk River went quickly for $525.
A lot of Bradstreet photos and tintypes fetched $875.
An original 1792 survey and hand colored map of the Gore and
Unadilla River got snatched up for $1,100. A Cockburn and Cox
1785 map of the Bradstreet lands between the Delaware and the
Susquehana Rivers was taken for $1,900. Two hand-colored survey
maps of Hyde Hall at Otsego Lake signed by George Clinton went
for $1,300. A Shulman Bartlett Map and field book didn't last at
$1,900. Hand drawn maps by Charles Brodhead regarding the Erie
Canal expansion went to Bill Reed for $2,100. A 1819 John Savage
map of Cosby Manor could be had for $1,300. A collection of early
maps and Matthew Codd ledger sheets brought $1,800.
Other items of interest were old area newspapers that featured
Custer's Last Stand and Johnson's Impeachment. They left the room
for $200. There was also a Victorian assortment of tintypes and
photographs of the Bradstreet descendants. The assortment got
grabbed up for $875. Two Utica directories (1828-1829) were taken
for $800.
An 1832 copy of The Catechism of Mythology, by William
Darlington, dedicated in print to Martha Bradstreet and embossed
with her name on the cover was grabbed for $375. An MT Tobias
watch, London, with engraved case with eagle and shield without
lens was taken by a bidder on the phone for $600. Two gold
carnelian wax seal fobs, one with profile, one with initials went
for $450. A Sheridan-style shaving mirror with drawer initialed
ELB (Edward Livius Bradstreet) on the back was taken for $400.
The Bradstreet genealogy/pedigree was a surprise when it went for
a mere $25. Another surprise was the sale of the trunk in which
the Bradstreet collection was store and discovered. It was filled
with crazy quilt pieces, some with ribbons from fire companies in
Deposit, Bainbridge and Binghamton, N.Y. The pieces were in
remarkably good shape and ready to use for quilting. The famous
trunk with quilt pieces sold for only $200.
Many of the Bradstreet documents, wills and deeds dealt with the
family trying to take back land pilfered by the General's
so-called friend, Philip Schuyler. Over the years, Schuyler was
able to sign some of Bradstreet's land and houses over to his own
children. Of course, some of us felt a little sorry for Schuyler.
After all, his son John did bear a remarkable resemblance to
General Bradstreet.
When the final hammer went down just before 9 pm, the 187 lots
had realized more than $400,000. And, it was hard to figure out
who worked harder, owner/auctioneer Jim Carter or Jackie on that
infamous red phone.
Acorn owners, Jim and Danielle Carter really know how to have an
auction. They held an impromptu reception on August 16 welcoming
Dr William Godfrey to the states. The professor came all the way
down from Sackville, New Brunswick. He was good enough to
autograph his book on General Bradstreet for the crowd. After,
Godfrey gave a short lecture giving many insights into John
Bradstreet's character.
