Beacon Hill, uncut - photo 1

Beacon Hill, uncut

Lot 203
16.06.2023 10:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 1 890
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 967399
Lot 203 | Beacon Hill, uncut
Estimate value
$ 1 500 – 2 500
MORTON, Sarah Wentworth Apthorp (1759-1846).] Beacon Hill. A Local Poem, Historic and Descriptive. Boston: Printed by Manning & Loring for the Author, 1797.

Rare poem by the "American Sappho" on the American Revolution. First edition, uncut. Book I was the only one ever published. Sarah Wentworth Apthorp Morton was called "the American Sappho" by her contemporaries and considered one of the finest female poets of the 18th century—she was long thought to be the author of The Power of Sympathy, now attributed to William Hill Brown. "Beacon Hill," written in heroic couplets and influenced by Milton and Gray, was dedicated to "the Citizen-Soldiers who fought, conquered, and retired, under the banners of Washington and Freedom." Unfortunately, the ambitious epic never saw completion. Stoddard & Whitesell note that the "expansive, marginous size of the leaf [...] marks this as a very stylish production by the Boston Bluestocking, one that might fit quite nicely on a shelf of London poems of the day." Morton's other work included Quabi; or, The Virtues of Nature (1790). Rare: the last copy recorded in RBH sold in 1968. Evans 32512; Sabin 51025; Stoddard & Whitesell 581; Wegelin p. 56 (erroneously noting a frontispiece).

Quarto (270 x 212mm). Uncut, sewn. Half-title, dedication leaf, and apology; 4 pp. notes at rear (small neat repairs along center crease and outer margin of preliminary leaves). Modern pale green wrappers. Provenance: Margaret Rogers (deleted inscription to title) – Sarah Rogers (deleted inscription to title).
Artist:Sarah Wentworth Apthorp Morton (1759 - 1846)
Place of origin:USA
Auction house category:Printed books
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
20 Rockefeller Plaza
10020 New York
USA
Preview
16.06.2023
Phone +1 212 636 2000
Fax +1 212 636 4930
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:30 – 17:00   
Tu 09:30 – 17:00   
We 09:30 – 17:00   
Th 09:30 – 17:00   
Fr 09:30 – 17:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.