EXCESSIVELY-RARE SIGNATURE OF AMERICAN PIONEER PHOTOGRAPHER ~~ MATHEW B. BRADY
BRADY, MATHEW B. (1822/1824 –1896) Early adaptor and one of the most famous photographers in American history; studied under inventor Samuel F.B. Morse, who pioneered the daguerreotype technique in America; best known for his depiction of the events and personalities of the Civil War, during which Brady’s use of a mobile studio and darkroom enabled him to make thousands of vivid battlefield photographs, thus bringing the reality of war to the public in real time. His excessively-rare, Signature “M.B. Brady”, as an endorsement, penned on the verso of a check made out to him in the amount of $18.75 from the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Drawn on the “Riggs & Co” bank, and signed by the Secretary and President of the Corcoran. March 26, 1883.
As to the rarity of Brady’s autograph, it has been suggested that he may have been largely illiterate, and that due to increasingly poor eyesight, most ‘signed’ material was actually written by his assistants, and this comprised mainly invitations to dignitaries to have their portraits taken. While photographs from Brady’s studio are regularly available, this is only the 3rd authentically signed item of the famed photographer we have offered in over 45 years! Just choice!
$4500.00