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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · 19d

The Hands of Heroes. On this day in 1935, George Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess premiered on Broadway (George Gershwin, _Porgy and Bess: An Opera in Three Acts_, Signed and Inscribed, 1936, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on April 11, 2002, $4,000. bit.ly/4pXuu5P)

Portrait of George Gershwin below which is his inscription and signature dated February 1, 1936.

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · 26d

The Hands of Time. Remembering Woody Guthrie, who died on this day in 1967. (ALS, to _Sing Out!_ magazine, praising the activism of Pete Seeger, written on a paper towel, 1955, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on November 7, 2017, $6,750. bit.ly/3VIZHvU)

Woody Guthrie's letter written in his own hand in blue, red, and green ink.

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Sep 26

The Hands of Time. Remembering Daniel Boone, who died near Defiance, MO on this day in 1820. (Document Signed, transferring ownership of 7000 acres of his land in KY, 1799, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on November 22, 2005, $6,500. bit.ly/4mBDr27)

Yellowed document showing the signatures of Daniel Boone and three others.

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Sep 16

The Hands of Time. Remembering Maria Callas, who died on this day in 1977. (Photograph Signed and dated, 1966, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on November 3, 2011, $4,800. bit.ly/3VeOAKX)

Signed and dated full-length portrait of Maria Callas looking stunning in black evening gown.

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Sep 9

The Hands of Time. Remembering Leo Tolstoy, who was born on this day in 1828. (Photograph Signed, cabinet card portrait by Scherer and Nabholz, 1902, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on May 22, 2014, $7,500. bit.ly/3JQgP05)

Cabinet card showing bust portrait of Leo Tolstoy wearing long beard above his signature.

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Sep 5

The Hands of Time. Remembering Sam Houston, who was elected President of the Republic of Texas this day in 1836. (Autograph Letter Signed to US President Pierce, recommending someone for Special Mail Agent, 1855, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on March 19, 2015, $6,500. bit.ly/4g3naB6)

Sam Houston's hand-written letter including his ornate signature.

Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Aug 18

13-Year-Old Charlotte Brontë & Her Brother Wrote Teeny Tiny Adventure Books, Measuring 1 x 2 Inches www.openculture.com/2014/07/13-y...

13-Year-Old Charlotte Brontë & Her Brother Wrote Teeny Tiny Adventure Books, Measuring 1 x 2 Inches

So you consider yourself a reader of the Brontës? Of course you've read Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. (Find these classics in our collection of Free eBooks and Free Au...

www.openculture.com

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Aug 13

The Hands of Time. Remembering Fidel Castro, who died this day in 2016. (Photograph signed and inscribed “to a tireless fighter,” 1955, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on May 4, 2017, $2,750. bit.ly/4lqqE1M)

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Aug 6

The Hands of Time. Remembering Andy Warhol, who was born this day in 1928. (Autograph inscription signed, a 60th birthday card, 1983, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on May 23, 2013, $7,800. bit.ly/4lXSZNW)

Numerals from 1 to 60 arranged in a grid and signed by Andy Warhol.

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Aug 1

The Hands of Time. Remembering Anne Frank, whose last diary entry is dated this day in 1944. (A copy of Grimms’ Fairy Tales shared by Frank and her sister Signed, ca. 1940, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on May 5, 2916, $62,500. bit.ly/3UBpBky)

Title page of copy of Grimms' Fairy Tales owned by Anne Frank and her sister, whose names were written at the top by Anne.

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Jul 24

The Hands of Time. Remembering Amelia Earhart, who was born this day in 1897. (PS, showing her standing before the engine of her [Lockheed Vega 5C Special?] airplane, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on February 11, 2010, $2,880. bit.ly/3GYOH9N)

Amelia Earhart standing in front of plane engine while smiling.

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Jul 18

The Hands of Time. Remembering Nelson Mandela, who was born this day in 1918. (David Ottaway’s _Chained Together_ Signed and Inscribed by him and F.W. de Klerk to the author, 1994, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on March 21, 2019, $938. bit.ly/3UqKZsx)

Blank page from David Ottaway's book, _Chained Together_, signed and inscribed to him by Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk.

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Jul 10

The Hands of Time. Remembering Millard Fillmore, who was inaugurated president of the U.S. this day in 1850. (Two AMsS five times, describing the genealogy of his father’s family, 1819 and 1853, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on May 5, 2016, $2,000. bit.ly/4nGxgeB)

Manuscript in the handwriting of Millard Fillmore.

Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Jun 24

The Hands of Time. Remembering Napoléon Bonaparte, whose ill-fated invasion of Russia was begun this day in 1812. (LS, to the Minister of War, arranging to continue the testing of new incendiary cannonballs, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on April 10, 2025, $2,375. bit.ly/467f6MQ)

Letter written in the ornate hand of a secretary, signed by Napoleon ("Bonaparte").

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Jun 17

The Hands of Time. Remembering Igor Stravinsky, who was born on this day in 1882. (TLS, including holograph music, regarding performance of _The Rite of Spring_, 1 August 1938, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on November 8, 2018, $2,860. bit.ly/45ogkmz)

Letter typed and signed by Igor Stravinsky illustrated with three autograph musical quotations.

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Jun 10

The Hands of Time. Remembering Maurice Sendak, who was born on this day in 1928. (Ink drawing, sketch of a Wild Thing dated and Signed, October 1988, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on May 4, 2017, $1,375 bit.ly/3Hr1AJQ)

Cartoonish sketch of the head of a horned monster showing large, sharp teeth: A "Wild Thing" by Maurice Sendak.

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Jun 4

The Hands of Heroes. On this day in 1919, the 19th Amendment was passed by Congress, granting women the right to vote (Elizabeth Cady Stanton, AQS: "Progress is the victory of a new thought over an old superstition," sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on April 27, 2006, $1,035. bit.ly/4kOXmdl)

Quotation written in the sharply angled script of Elizabeth Cady Stanton on a slip of paper.

Reposted by Marco Tomaschett

Tabletop Audio @tabletopaudio.com · Jun 3

Last night, at my son's final youth orchestra concert at Carnegie Hall, I strolled past dozens of these handwritten manuscripts on the walls. I'm always drawn to these two: visual design is often present in #minimalism as a technique to represent pattern, repetition, and change. Plus they look cool

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · May 28

The Hands of Time. Remembering Jim Thorpe, who was born on this day in 1887. (_History of the Olympics_. Signed and Inscribed, 1932, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on November 8, 2018, $1,950. bit.ly/4jn67Kk)

Copy of Jim Thorpe's _History of the Olympics_ open to page showing his inscription on left side and portrait on the right.

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · May 20

If a man as prolific as Voltaire hasn't said anything about the origin of his name, I suspect he preferred that we don't know. Maybe adopting a name that seems deep and plausible is an expression of his craft--maybe he could be said to have written his own story by doing this.

Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · May 19

The Hands of Heroes. During Military Appreciation Month, honor the sacrifices made to secure American freedom (Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. PS by both, portrait by Elliott Erwitt, ca. 1960, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on May 4, 2017, $32,500. bit.ly/4jea5oP)

Photograph showing President Eisenhower and President-Elect Kennedy talking, with their signatures written in the lower margin.

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · May 16

The Hands of Time. Remembering French philosopher François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire), who was imprisoned in the Bastille this day in 1717. (ALS, writing in English that “my soul is free everywhere,” sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on November 29, 2012, $12,000. bit.ly/3GTEX0e)

Last 6 lines of a letter dated February 20, 1754, written in English in the hand of Voltaire and signed by him.

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · May 9

The Wisdom of Scribedom. "To thine own self be true, and it will follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man." –Alexander Graham Bell (Autograph quotation signed, 1917, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on October 29, 2009, $1,680: bit.ly/3EJgEl2).

Alexander Graham Bell, quoting himself, in his own handwriting: "To thine own self be true, and it will follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Apr 30

The Hands of Time. Remembering our first president George Washington, who delivered his first inaugural address this day in 1789. (Autograph Manuscript, unsigned, 28-word fragment from an early draft of his address, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on May 22, 2014, $20,000. bit.ly/4lSFhfz)

Two-line strip of George Washington's handwriting cut from the first draft of his first inauguration speech by Jared Sparks.

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Marco Tomaschett @marcotomaschett.bsky.social · Apr 25

The Hands of Time. Remembering Ella Fitzgerald, who was born on this day in 1917. (Photograph signed and inscribed to a supporter, sold @swanngalleries.bsky.social on March 2, 2023, $1,000. bit.ly/4cLyC2F)

Bust portrait of Ella Fitzgerald facing camera and looking to one side.

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