My Pick of the Week for the upcoming January 14–15–16, 2026 Americana Sale at Pook & Pook Auction in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, is a superb ink and watercolor double portrait by Joseph H. Davis (American, 1811–1865). This finely rendered 1836 portrait…
Lot 428, the oil on canvas Randerson Kills Prickett, and the lot gracing the cover of our October 2025 Americana catalog, is not only one of the finest paintings of an Old West gunslinger created, it is also one of…
Lot 473 is a group of colorful, joyous scenes of rural Chinese farm life in the 1970’s. Created as Maoist propaganda posters, there is more to these works than meets the eye. My particular favorite is On-the-spot meeting of the…
Snuffboxes came into wide circulation with the increasing importance of tobacco use in the West. Tobacco was first prized as a medicine when first imported from the New World in the late 16th century. Europeans delighted in the effects of…
Lot 7875 is an antique Mughal gold and enamel bracelet, set with diamonds, emeralds, and natural and synthetic rubies. Dated to approximately 1880, this bracelet was purchased by its current owners from the Ganeshi Lall & Son Emporium in Agra,…
Undoubtedly one of the most important firearms in American History, from its inception at the start of civil unrest to its natural habitat in settling the west, post-Civil War, the Remington New Model Army .44 caliber revolver certainly has withstood…
The year was 1750. Thomas Penn needed to raise some cash. In spite of his father William Penn founding the colony of Pennsylvania in 1681, the family was deeply in debt. They had never seen income from the colony, and…
This jewel of a portrait is precious for multiple reasons. It is a virtuoso example of the early work of John Singleton Copley, and is an undeniably beautiful painting. But perhaps equally, it is significant for the private story it…
The Coin & Jewelry Auction at Pook & Pook on October 30th is composed of pounds and pounds of gold and many, many carats of diamonds, but my favorite item is of a humble nature. Lot 2228 is an assortment…
Some of the most intriguing lots of jewelry in Pook & Pook’s upcoming Coins & Jewelry auction include examples of Victorian hair jewelry (Lots 1959, 2525, and 2584). The practice of incorporating human hair to create intricately designed bracelets, brooches,…
What does the sensation of beauty look like in a painting? The challenge for Agnes Martin was not to paint a beautiful object, but the sensation of perceiving it; that, when looked at, would be felt by others. “My paintings…
Wm. B. Stark’s Campaign, in the war of 1862-63-64 and 65. Written by himself from his diary kept during the war. William B. Stark kept a diary of his days serving in the Civil War, a fascinating first-person historical account…
Two lots not to be missed are #248 and #317. They are a glass perfume bottle and a shadow box frame containing five bottles and a book, items easy enough to walk past without a second glance—but once their context…
Another of my favorite paintings in the April 18th & 19th sale is also by a Philadelphia native and student of The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Mildred Bunting Miller (1892-1964). Born in Philadelphia, Miller studied at the Academy from…
The American Civil War is considered the first modern war, witnessing rapid advancement in military technique and technology. Lacking the North’s depth of military resources, it was crucial for the Confederacy to innovate. At inception in 1861 the Confederacy established…