The Allen Koenigsberg Phonograph Collection
Lot 3543:
Description
This exceptional lot brings together a pair of scarce 19th-century paper ephemera items documenting landmark moments in American science and regional history. The first piece is an early, highly collectible January 1858 Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections pamphlet written by Rev. Thomas Hill of Waltham, Massachusetts, titled Map of the Solar Eclipse of March 15th, 1858, published in Washington, D.C. It contains an incredibly well-preserved, multi-fold astronomical chart showing the path of the eclipse across North America. The second piece is an authentic first edition of The St. Louis Chronicle’s Photographic Views of the Great Cyclone at St. Louis from May 27, 1896, published by the I. Haas Publishing and Engraving Company. This booklet features striking, stark historic photography by “Strauss” that captures the immediate aftermath of the devastating tornado. Objectively evaluating their physical condition, both items show age-appropriate wear expected of fragile paper from their respective eras. The 1858 Smithsonian booklet features minor edge wear and a prominent, historic water/tide stain that runs continuously along the upper margins and onto the outer fold edge of the map sheet, though the map’s central printed details remain clean, crisp, and fully intact. The 1896 cyclone booklet presents spine wear, soft edges with chipping, a small missing paper snippet at the top-right corner of the front wrapper, and heavy water spot mottling and discoloration across the back cover wrapper, while its interior photo pages remain highly legible. The lot consists of the two booklets pictured. Eclipse Booklet: H 9″, W 5.75″, D 0.1″. Cyclone Booklet: H 7.75″, W 10″, D 0.15″. See photos for condition. From the Allen Koenigsberg collection.
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