Curiosities

The Thinker – Bookends by Armor Bronze – 1920′s

A solid and delightful pair of bookends by Armor Bronze who operated out of 5th Avenue, New York during the 1920’s.

Based on “Le Penseur” by Rodin.

Good condition. 20 cms high and weighing in at 3.0 kgs. the pair. One original label intact on the base over original green felt protector.

Quality bookends by collected maker … make your books look the business.

$390.00

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19thC Magic Lantern Slide – Aurora Borealis

A quite striking wooden framed magic lantern slide depicting the Aurora Borealis with ship and adventurers fighting polar bears who appear rather hungry.

Manufactured by the McIntosh Battery & Optical Company Chicago circa 1890. The company was formed in 1879 and in the 1890’s changed its name to the McIntosh Electrical Co to concentrate in radio devices.

The wooden slide is 28cm by 10cm with the circular hand coloured slide 8 cm in diameter. The condition of the colouring and slide generally is excellent.

Delightful Polar Curiosity – 1890

$120.00

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Allen & Hanburys Ltd – Abridged Catalogue of Surgical Instruments and Appliances – Aseptic Hospital Furniture and Electro-Medical Apparatus. – c1920

Possibly the most important reference of the period on the subject. Allen & Hanburys were at 48 Wigmore Street, London W1 with a factory at Bethnal Green and other facilities in Hertfordshire and Norway (Cod Liver Oil).

Abridged in their world means large octavo 739 pages. Original red cloth covered boards, titles etc blind stamped on spine, white to front. No date but references show circa 1920. Thousands of illustrations, frontispiece of the principal premises. Pasted onto inside front is a 28 page price list from April, 1925. All in very good condition.

By this time Allen & Hanburys were leading players with businesses in South Africa, China, Australia, India, South America, USA, Canada, Arabia, New Zealand, West Indies and throughout Europe.

Items covered include far too numerous to list even by category, they appear to cover every aspect. We have provided quite a few images to give some idea.

Special Medical instrument Reference from the distinguished Allen & Hanburys.

$290.00

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My Cutey’s Due at Two- To-Two To-Day

Original music score of a “novelty fox-trot” published in 1926 by Bibo, Bloedon & Lang, New York. Written by Leo Robin and Albert Von Tilzer and recorded by Harold Oxley.

With special arrangement for Ukulele by May Singhi Breen … known as “The Ukulele Lady”.

Four pages of score for piano (and Ukulele) … the words are hilarious … our singer is certainly missing his Cutey!

My Cutey’s due at Two-to-Two –
She’s coming thru on a big choo choo
She’s been away for months
But I have-n’t cheated once
Stay’d home nights didn’t dance
Was-n’t taking any chance
Did-n’t flirt and tho’it hurt
I just couldn’t do my Cutey dirt.

Very thoughtful …. do-n’t forget the Bon Bons

My Cutey’s Due – sing in the key of Bertie Wooster!

$25.00

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Linus Pauling (Two Times Nobel Prize Winner) – Signed corrected typed letter to colleague Professor D.P. Craig

One of the top 100 scientists that have ever lived. Along with Marie Currie he received the Nobel Prize twice in different fields, Chemistry and Peace the only person to have received two alone in their own right.

Valence theory and the application of quantum mechanics to molecular theory was his forte. Here we have him corresponding with Australian Professor David Craig at University College, London. Craig spent much time there and then later at the Research School of Chemistry, ANU, Canberra.

Pauling writes on California Institute of Technology, Pasadena letterhead …. 4th August 1961

“I thank you for your letter about molecular orbitals and benzene. I have no doubt that a reasonably good job can be done in discussing aromatic molecules by use of the molecular orbital method, in such a way that students find the discussion acceptable. I am not sure that I feel that it is obviously justified to say that the electrons occupying an orbital with a single node are about as stable as in the two-center orbitals of a Kekule structure – I know that this is right, but how the student would feel is another matter.

Nevertheless, I have not reached the conclusion that I should attempt much of a molecular-orbital discussion in my book, as well as the discussion of simple resonance theory.”

An enlightening view … Kekule having established his principles in the mid-19thC. It was not until molecular orbital theory that the properties of aromatic molecules could be more readily understood. Pauling used X-ray technology to support his findings. In a number of areas, he was “in competition” with Australian born Sir Lawrence Bragg, who was running the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge. Pauling discovered the protein alpha helix after many years of painstaking work … without this the work on DNA would have come much later. Having won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his pioneering work he became a strong anti-bomb supporter and through his efforts to suppress cold war activity was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Later he became a champion for the use of vitamin C as a near cure all.

Linus Pauling every Scientists Hero – A letter to a Colleague with relevant Scientific Content

$490.00

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French Thetrical Legend – Sarah Bernhardt – Signed Manuscript Letter 1887, Photographic Portrait and Ephemera

Likely the 19th Century’s greatest actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923). A fine hand with bold signature dated 1887. Her personal grey bordered stationery with the Quand Meme motif.

She addresses “Mon Cher Paul” mentions her pretty niece and trying to arrange a suitable time to catch up.

The letter is accompanied by a photographic portrait of Bernhardt, a cabinet card depicting the legend in Camille by Dumas which she performed in 1882. 16cm by 11cm mounted on original card minor edge chips, plain back.

Also relating to her tour of America (see below) two “Between the Acts & Bravo” cigarette cards, also from the 1880’s, issued by Thomas Hall, New York. 7.5cm by 4cm each, very good condition.

1887 was an interesting time for the “Divine Sarah”. She was well established by this time but had

developed an extremely lavish lifestyle and had a gambler for a son that she supported financially. Already accustomed to touring a mammoth tour of South and North America was organised by her manager Edouard Jarett. It was hugely successful an she returned to Paris the year of this letter with a million francs. Unfortunately, her manager died of a heart attack on the tour … it didn’t stop Sarah indulging in some of her favourite pastimes … such as collecting exotic animals. She brought back an alligator that seemingly was partial to champagne. Among her other strange activities was sleeping in a coffin when trying to get into character for rather dowdy parts.

Sarah Bernhardt – Signed manuscript Letter – 1887 – with Cabinet Card from that period.

$490.00

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The Thinker – Bookends by Armor Bronze – 1920′s

19thC Magic Lantern Slide – Aurora Borealis

Allen & Hanburys Ltd – Abridged Catalogue of Surgical Instruments and Appliances – Aseptic Hospital Furniture and Electro-Medical Apparatus. – c1920

My Cutey’s Due at Two- To-Two To-Day

Linus Pauling (Two Times Nobel Prize Winner) – Signed corrected typed letter to colleague Professor D.P. Craig

French Thetrical Legend – Sarah Bernhardt – Signed Manuscript Letter 1887, Photographic Portrait and Ephemera

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