October Fall Classic
Lot 1248e:
Description
This is a profoundly historical and genuinely chilling piece of true crime ephemera: an original-issue framed grouping of FBI documents related to the sensational 1964 kidnapping of baby Paul Joseph Fronczak from Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago. The presentation includes two suspect composite sketches—labeled “TRAMPOLEAN TESSY” and “GALESVILLE GERTY”—prepared by the FBI, both featuring the FBI EXHIBITS SECTION stamp. Below these is a UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION “HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN?” flyer distributed To All Transportation Personnel. The flyer details the kidnapping on April 27, 1964, and provides a description of the kidnapper: White Female, age 35 to 45, 5’2″ to 5’4″, 130 to 145 pounds, stocky build, with black or brown hair streaked with gray. The historical significance of this case, which saw the child found two years later, only to have its resolution questioned decades later via DNA testing, is immense. The paper, particularly the sketches, shows heavy toning and age-related brittle edges, consistent with genuine mid-century documents that were clearly handled and distributed, now preserved in clear plastic sleeves within a modern black frame. H 24.75″, W 15.5″, D 1″
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