Peterborough Auctions LLC
Live Auction

Fine Art and Antiques

Sun, Sep 22, 2024 01:00PM EDT
  2024-09-22 13:00:00 2024-09-22 13:00:00 America/New_York Peterborough Auctions Peterborough Auctions : Fine Art and Antiques https://bid.peterboroughauctions.us/auctions/peterborough-auctions-llc/fine-art-and-antiques-15915
Peterborough Auctions LLC auctions@peterboroughauctions.us
Lot 133

1876 Japanese Alphabet - Philadelphia Exhibition Calligraphy Document

Estimate: $200 - $300
Starting Bid
$100

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $10
$200 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$3,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$30,000 $2,500
$50,000 $5,000

Calligraphy presentation to Ethelbert Watts (1845-1919), from his "Japanese friend", dated December 6h, 1876, Philadelphia, USA; comprising a reference chart of Japanese characters and their corresponding sounds and numbers. Mr. Watts was a young civil war veteran and graduate of the University of Pennsylvania who turned heads at the 1876 Philadelphia Exhibition with his highly touted 'portmanteau portable bath tub'; not quite as memorable as Alexander Graham Bell's telephone, or the Japanese exhibition of traditional homes and gardens, but still, a conversation starter. Presumably, the Japanese friend who made this document (Tanikadzu Tracatta?) was with the Japanese delegation to Philadelphia. This fascinating document was folded and pressed between books for decades; old repairs and tears, 14" x 17".

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