The Coquette - photo 1
The Coquette - photo 2

The Coquette

Lot 201
16.06.2023 10:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 6 930
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 967397
Lot 201 | The Coquette
Estimate value
$ 3 000 – 5 000
[FOSTER, Hannah Webster (1758-1840).] The Coquette; or, the History of Eliza Wharton; a Novel; Founded on Fact. By a Lady of Massachusetts. Boston: Printed by Samuel Etheridge for E. Larkin, 1797.

First edition of Foster's epistolary novel, published anonymously in 1797. The first novel written by a native-born American woman. The Coquette "count[ered] received ideas on women's circumscribed power and authority, [and] was an important voice in the debate on women's role in the Republic" (Davidson, p.11). Foster hailed from Salisbury, Massachusetts, the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Her mother died when she was four or five years old, at which point she was sent to boarding school. Afterward she lived in Boston, writing political articles for local newspapers, before marrying Reverend John Foster in 1785 and settling in Brighton. The mother of six children, The Coquette was her first novel. Rare: RBH records the most recent copy of the first edition selling in 1954 in Jean Hersholt's sale.

The Coquette's ripped-from-the-headlines story of sex and betrayal was loosely based on the infamous love affairs and ultimate downfall of Elizabeth Whitman. Whitman, a distant cousin of Foster's husband, hailed from a respected Connecticut family and by all accounts was accomplished and admired. After breaking off at least two engagements, she had an ill-fated affair that left her pregnant and abandoned. The father was thought to be Pierpont Edwards—the son of the accomplished theologian and philosopher Jonathan Edwards who led New England's first "Great Awakening"—which only added to the scandal. Whitman disappeared from the public eye but resurfaced in July 1788 at the Bell Tavern in Danvers, Massachusetts. There she gave birth to a stillborn child, dying alone soon after. Whitman’s heartbreaking story was reported in the Salem Mercury and in the years that followed she developed a cult following, with fans apparently making pilgrimages to her gravesite and breaking off pieces of her tombstone for souvenirs. See Davidson, Revolution and the Word (1986). Evans 32142.

12mo (170 x 90mm). Half-title (front endpaper with repair at margin; half-title reinserted with gutter strengthened; repaired marginal tears; pp. 167 & 255 with margins renewed; a few leaves with tears touching text). Contemporary sheep (rebacked, corners showing).
Artist:Hannah Webster Foster (1758 - 1840)
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

More from Creator

The Boarding School
The Boarding School
$100

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.
?>