1939
See also : Cars II Cars 1930s Mercedes-Benz Italian cars Eastern Europe Chagall Picasso in the 1930s Central and South Americas US painting < 1940 Egypt Garment Switzerland before 1940 Time instruments Patek Philippe Development of Patek Philippe 20th century furniture Movies II Political writing
1939 The Smiling Woman
2017 SOLD for $ 45M including premium
While Dora Maar was doing the photographic survey of his creation of Guernica, Picasso observed her feminine hypersensitivity and conceptualized his new muse as a prophetess of the political catastrophes.
This artist's vision was incomplete and even unfair for this activist woman who loved surrealism and eccentric attires. It certainly did not help to preserve her fragile mental balance. They will terminate their affair in 1943.
Another catastrophe occured. In September 1939 Picasso in fear of the aerial attacks left Paris and established his small circle at Royan in two different places so that his two rival mistresses shall not meet.
In the cyclothymia of this anxious artist the date of 25 October 1939 was a short period of lull. Pablo was celebrating his birthday in Royan with Dora. He painted Femme assise, robe bleue.
This oil on canvas 73 x 60 cm was sold for £ 18M including premium by Christie's on June 21, 2011 over a lower estimate of £ 4M. The appeal to the international market from Dora's portraits is growing. It is now estimated $ 35M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 15, lot 12 A.
On that day Pablo's mistress is no longer an allegory but a young woman loved by him. The colors are bright and cheerful and the hat is exuberant. The face in multiple perspectives according to the taste of the artist at that time reinforces the expression of a wide and friendly smile close to laughter.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
This artist's vision was incomplete and even unfair for this activist woman who loved surrealism and eccentric attires. It certainly did not help to preserve her fragile mental balance. They will terminate their affair in 1943.
Another catastrophe occured. In September 1939 Picasso in fear of the aerial attacks left Paris and established his small circle at Royan in two different places so that his two rival mistresses shall not meet.
In the cyclothymia of this anxious artist the date of 25 October 1939 was a short period of lull. Pablo was celebrating his birthday in Royan with Dora. He painted Femme assise, robe bleue.
This oil on canvas 73 x 60 cm was sold for £ 18M including premium by Christie's on June 21, 2011 over a lower estimate of £ 4M. The appeal to the international market from Dora's portraits is growing. It is now estimated $ 35M for sale by Christie's in New York on May 15, lot 12 A.
On that day Pablo's mistress is no longer an allegory but a young woman loved by him. The colors are bright and cheerful and the hat is exuberant. The face in multiple perspectives according to the taste of the artist at that time reinforces the expression of a wide and friendly smile close to laughter.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
1939 A Spider by Alfa Romeo and Touring
2016 SOLD for $ 19.8M including premium
Under the direct control of the Italian government, Alfa Romeo improves the performance of its luxury and sports cars throughout the 1930s. The 6-cylinder version (6C) grows in several stages from 1750 to 2500 cc. Aimed at the high end, the 8-cylinder version (8C), created in 1931 with 2300 cc, is fitted with 2900 cc from 1935. The 8C 2900B is available in two lengths from 1937 : Corto and Lungo.
Alfa Romeo has special relationships with two body shops that offer dissimilar products. A 8C 2900B assembled by Pinin Farina in cabriolet was sold for $ 4,07M including premium by Christie's on August 28, 1999, a great price for that time.
In Milan, Carrozzeria Touring patented in 1936 theSuperleggera technology. Alfa Romeo actively supports this development that must enable its Lungo variant to compete advantageously with the too massive Mercedes-Benz 540K. The war interrupted this activity. Note however that in 1939 Alfa Romeo is already offering the features that will make the success of sports cars after the war: the spider from as early as 1931, and the berlinetta.
On August 20 in Monterey, RM Sotheby's sells the culmination of this evolution : an 8C 2900B Lungo bodied in spider superleggera by Touring. It is estimated $ 20M, lot 234.
The authenticity of this car is the result of patient and painstaking work by the best specialists of the brand. The oldest traces of its eventful existence date back to the early 1950s in South America. As often, this car had been dismantled by owners seeking the best combination for their cars in competition.
In 1994, convinced that chassis 412041 and body 2027 may come from the same original car, the collector Sam Mann, passionate about automotive engineering, acquires both. The reassembly proves him right : the positions of the bolt holes are consistent, resulting from the work done by Touring workmen around 1939. Despite the extreme rarity of this model, Mann was able to complete this work by assembling an engine and a fuel pump from the original 8C 2900B series.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's TV and another videoshared by RM introducing five vehicles from the Mann collection.
Alfa Romeo has special relationships with two body shops that offer dissimilar products. A 8C 2900B assembled by Pinin Farina in cabriolet was sold for $ 4,07M including premium by Christie's on August 28, 1999, a great price for that time.
In Milan, Carrozzeria Touring patented in 1936 theSuperleggera technology. Alfa Romeo actively supports this development that must enable its Lungo variant to compete advantageously with the too massive Mercedes-Benz 540K. The war interrupted this activity. Note however that in 1939 Alfa Romeo is already offering the features that will make the success of sports cars after the war: the spider from as early as 1931, and the berlinetta.
On August 20 in Monterey, RM Sotheby's sells the culmination of this evolution : an 8C 2900B Lungo bodied in spider superleggera by Touring. It is estimated $ 20M, lot 234.
The authenticity of this car is the result of patient and painstaking work by the best specialists of the brand. The oldest traces of its eventful existence date back to the early 1950s in South America. As often, this car had been dismantled by owners seeking the best combination for their cars in competition.
In 1994, convinced that chassis 412041 and body 2027 may come from the same original car, the collector Sam Mann, passionate about automotive engineering, acquires both. The reassembly proves him right : the positions of the bolt holes are consistent, resulting from the work done by Touring workmen around 1939. Despite the extreme rarity of this model, Mann was able to complete this work by assembling an engine and a fuel pump from the original 8C 2900B series.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's TV and another videoshared by RM introducing five vehicles from the Mann collection.
1939 Three Candles against the War
2017 SOLD for $ 14.6M including premium
At the end of the 1930s the Nazis made themselves increasingly involved in French affairs. As early as 1937 they criticized the poetic art of the Belorussian immigrant Marc Chagall with his continuous evocations of Judaism and his characters floating in the air.
In 1939 Marc and Bella are worried but do not yet perceive that the Nazis will manage to physically eradicate the French Jews. They remember Vitebsk where they married in 1916 and express their roots with their skills : Bella by her stories in Yiddish and Mark by his painting.
On May 15 in New York, Christie's sells Les Trois Cierges, oil on canvas 130 x 97 cm painted in 1939, lot 6 A estimated $ 8M.
As ever with Marc's surrealist style, the scenes are juxtaposed in various scales according to their importance conceived by the artist.
On the right side the levitating newlyweds are back to the happy time of Vitebsk. On the left, three tall candles are lit, marking the hope of the small family circle formed by Marc, Bella and their daughter Ida : the torments of the moment will be annihilated by melting in the wax. Secondary animation on the smaller scale includes flying angels, musicians and a view of the village.
In 1940 the persecution reached the whole French territory. Marc and Bella left France hurriedly. A few months later Ida and her husband joined them in the United States : in their crossing of the Atlantic that was made extremely dangerous by the war, they succeeded in transporting a large crate of artworks painted by Marc, including Les Trois Cierges which were thus saved from an inescapable destruction.
In the following year Les Trois Cierges is a major piece in the exhibition devoted to Chagall's art by Pierre Matisse in New York, one of the most important initiatives within this transitional period in which the Americans discover the European and Russian modern art.
In 1939 Marc and Bella are worried but do not yet perceive that the Nazis will manage to physically eradicate the French Jews. They remember Vitebsk where they married in 1916 and express their roots with their skills : Bella by her stories in Yiddish and Mark by his painting.
On May 15 in New York, Christie's sells Les Trois Cierges, oil on canvas 130 x 97 cm painted in 1939, lot 6 A estimated $ 8M.
As ever with Marc's surrealist style, the scenes are juxtaposed in various scales according to their importance conceived by the artist.
On the right side the levitating newlyweds are back to the happy time of Vitebsk. On the left, three tall candles are lit, marking the hope of the small family circle formed by Marc, Bella and their daughter Ida : the torments of the moment will be annihilated by melting in the wax. Secondary animation on the smaller scale includes flying angels, musicians and a view of the village.
In 1940 the persecution reached the whole French territory. Marc and Bella left France hurriedly. A few months later Ida and her husband joined them in the United States : in their crossing of the Atlantic that was made extremely dangerous by the war, they succeeded in transporting a large crate of artworks painted by Marc, including Les Trois Cierges which were thus saved from an inescapable destruction.
In the following year Les Trois Cierges is a major piece in the exhibition devoted to Chagall's art by Pierre Matisse in New York, one of the most important initiatives within this transitional period in which the Americans discover the European and Russian modern art.
1939 Bridle Path by Edward Hopper
2012 SOLD for $ 10.4M including premium by Sotheby's
Link to Artvalue.
1939 The Doubling of Frida Kahlo
2016 SOLD for $ 8M including premium
The life of Frida Kahlo was always difficult but 1939 was particularly painful and distressing both physically and psychologically. She is 32 years old. Nothing goes right with her husband and idol Diego Rivera who had been accepting her homosexual desires but is jealous of her men.
Frida needs some comforting and eventually considers that she can only find it within herself in a pathetic doubling of her personality. Las Dos Fridas is a double self portrait by the artist commented by herself as a symbol of her loneliness, broken by the fact that the two women are holding their hands.
This artwork helps to understand Dos desnudos en el bosque, oil on metal 25 x 30 cm painted in the same year, estimated $ 8M byChristie's in New York on May 12, lot 21C.
A woman with dark skin is lovingly caressing a lying white woman. They are nude in a calm attitude but in the surrounding of a torrid vegetation loaded with sexual symbols. The sniper monkey plays the role of the male who will not be rejected by this Sapphic couple.
The seated woman has one leg that hangs into a seismic ravine. She fertilizes the soil through her long scarf and an almost imperceptible bleeding. Rooting is a recurring theme of the artist in her search for the mystery of human life and her need for a shelter against all the threats of the world.
The faces are not identifiable and Dos desnudos can be a double self portrait. If this is not the case, one of the women is the first owner of this painting, the Mexican film star Dolores del Río who was probably one of the targets of Frida's bisexuality.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Christie's.
Frida needs some comforting and eventually considers that she can only find it within herself in a pathetic doubling of her personality. Las Dos Fridas is a double self portrait by the artist commented by herself as a symbol of her loneliness, broken by the fact that the two women are holding their hands.
This artwork helps to understand Dos desnudos en el bosque, oil on metal 25 x 30 cm painted in the same year, estimated $ 8M byChristie's in New York on May 12, lot 21C.
A woman with dark skin is lovingly caressing a lying white woman. They are nude in a calm attitude but in the surrounding of a torrid vegetation loaded with sexual symbols. The sniper monkey plays the role of the male who will not be rejected by this Sapphic couple.
The seated woman has one leg that hangs into a seismic ravine. She fertilizes the soil through her long scarf and an almost imperceptible bleeding. Rooting is a recurring theme of the artist in her search for the mystery of human life and her need for a shelter against all the threats of the world.
The faces are not identifiable and Dos desnudos can be a double self portrait. If this is not the case, one of the women is the first owner of this painting, the Mexican film star Dolores del Río who was probably one of the targets of Frida's bisexuality.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Christie's.
1939 The Last Spezial Roadster
2013 SOLD 7.5 M$ including premium
2017 SOLD for $ 6.6M including premium
PRE 2017 SALE DISCUSSION
The luxury car began to adopt a more modern look in 1939, with Alfa Romeo and Mercedes-Benz. The war interrupted this great trend.
On January 20 in Phoenix, RM Sotheby's sells a Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster. Completed in August 1939 on a special order and delivered to its owner in Berlin, this car appears as the ultimate car of the most prestigious pre-war lineage.
It is equipped with the latest developments offered by Mercedes-Benz including the new five-speed transmission. Its one-off bodywork made in Sindelfingen marks the culmination of the aesthetic research aiming to bring to this massive two-seater roadster the same elegance as a sports car.
After the war it was used for a few years in East Berlin by Soviet diplomats and then transferred to Russia. It had become old-fashioned and was likely to be abandoned when an amateur managed to smuggle it into Sweden in 1967. After these adventures, its condition remains remarkably authentic with its original body and equipment including chassis and engine in matching numbers.
This car has already been discussed twice in this column.
On August 20, 2011, RM Auctions had gathered five Mercedes-Benz demonstrating masterfully the evolution of the high-end of this brand from 1935 to 1939. In the shadow of the dazzling 540K Spezial Roadster of 1937 from the Mann collection that fetched $ 9.7M including premium, the 1939 car was sold for $ 4.6M including premium over a lower estimate of $ 3.5M. The pre sale release shared by Sports Car Digest illustrates these five wonders.
Its specific importance was further enhanced later. Sold for $ 7.5M including premium by RM Auctions on August 16, 2013, it then began a prestigious career in the concours d'elegance. It is estimated $ 7.4M in the next sale, lot 258.
The luxury car began to adopt a more modern look in 1939, with Alfa Romeo and Mercedes-Benz. The war interrupted this great trend.
On January 20 in Phoenix, RM Sotheby's sells a Mercedes-Benz 540K Spezial Roadster. Completed in August 1939 on a special order and delivered to its owner in Berlin, this car appears as the ultimate car of the most prestigious pre-war lineage.
It is equipped with the latest developments offered by Mercedes-Benz including the new five-speed transmission. Its one-off bodywork made in Sindelfingen marks the culmination of the aesthetic research aiming to bring to this massive two-seater roadster the same elegance as a sports car.
After the war it was used for a few years in East Berlin by Soviet diplomats and then transferred to Russia. It had become old-fashioned and was likely to be abandoned when an amateur managed to smuggle it into Sweden in 1967. After these adventures, its condition remains remarkably authentic with its original body and equipment including chassis and engine in matching numbers.
This car has already been discussed twice in this column.
On August 20, 2011, RM Auctions had gathered five Mercedes-Benz demonstrating masterfully the evolution of the high-end of this brand from 1935 to 1939. In the shadow of the dazzling 540K Spezial Roadster of 1937 from the Mann collection that fetched $ 9.7M including premium, the 1939 car was sold for $ 4.6M including premium over a lower estimate of $ 3.5M. The pre sale release shared by Sports Car Digest illustrates these five wonders.
Its specific importance was further enhanced later. Sold for $ 7.5M including premium by RM Auctions on August 16, 2013, it then began a prestigious career in the concours d'elegance. It is estimated $ 7.4M in the next sale, lot 258.
1939 Platinum Patek Philippe 1415 HU World Time
2002 SOLD for CHF 6.6M (worth at that time US $ 4M) including premium by Antiquorum
1939 The Silver Arrows
2012 SOLD 5.2 M$ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
It was ambitious to compete with Mercedes-Benz high-end in the late 1930s. This is however what was tried by another German brand, Horch, which was part of the Auto Union co-operation. The models of these two companies have remained conjointly in the memory of the enthusiasts of automobile beauties through the nickname "Silver Arrows".
The Horch 853, designed in 1938, is much rarer than the Mercedes 540K. Aesthetically, the Special Roadster variants of these two models are very similar. Horch, which did not have the industrial capability of Mercedes, banked on the extreme minuteness of the details. The 853 was in its time one of the most expensive cars in the world.
Besides the two prototypes that preceded it, the Horch 853 Special Roadster "second series" was produced in five units.
The first did not please Göring and was dismantled. One of them is in a state museum, and the latest of the series is not located.
The car for sale by RM Auctions in Monterey on August 17 is exceptional. It is estimated $ 6M, and photographed in the fourteenth position on the page devoted by Sports Car Digest to many wonders of this auction.
This car made in 1939 was extensively restored by RM Auto Restoration with an extreme care to use originalequipment and components. This operation which lasted two years has resulted inone of the most coveted awards: it was judged Best of Show of the 2004 Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach.
The other unit has already been discussed in this group. It had also been restored, but by a less skilled team. It was sold £ 1.13 million including premium by RM Auctions on October 29, 2008, in a dark period when economic conditions were unfavorable to auction.
POST SALE COMMENT
The lower estimate has not been reached, but it was ambitious. Sold $ 4.7 million before fees, 5.2 million including premium, this unit marks however the great come back of Horch in the list of the best car brands of the 1930s.
It was ambitious to compete with Mercedes-Benz high-end in the late 1930s. This is however what was tried by another German brand, Horch, which was part of the Auto Union co-operation. The models of these two companies have remained conjointly in the memory of the enthusiasts of automobile beauties through the nickname "Silver Arrows".
The Horch 853, designed in 1938, is much rarer than the Mercedes 540K. Aesthetically, the Special Roadster variants of these two models are very similar. Horch, which did not have the industrial capability of Mercedes, banked on the extreme minuteness of the details. The 853 was in its time one of the most expensive cars in the world.
Besides the two prototypes that preceded it, the Horch 853 Special Roadster "second series" was produced in five units.
The first did not please Göring and was dismantled. One of them is in a state museum, and the latest of the series is not located.
The car for sale by RM Auctions in Monterey on August 17 is exceptional. It is estimated $ 6M, and photographed in the fourteenth position on the page devoted by Sports Car Digest to many wonders of this auction.
This car made in 1939 was extensively restored by RM Auto Restoration with an extreme care to use originalequipment and components. This operation which lasted two years has resulted inone of the most coveted awards: it was judged Best of Show of the 2004 Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach.
The other unit has already been discussed in this group. It had also been restored, but by a less skilled team. It was sold £ 1.13 million including premium by RM Auctions on October 29, 2008, in a dark period when economic conditions were unfavorable to auction.
POST SALE COMMENT
The lower estimate has not been reached, but it was ambitious. Sold $ 4.7 million before fees, 5.2 million including premium, this unit marks however the great come back of Horch in the list of the best car brands of the 1930s.
1939 The Goodyear Table by Isamu Noguchi
2014 SOLD for $ 4.5M including premium by Phillips
1939 A Dynastic Wedding in the Middle East
2015 SOLD for $ 4.3M including premium
A royal wedding is managed in two steps in 1939, in Cairo and Teheran: the son and heir of the Shah of Iran marries the sister of the King of Egypt. This union is political: the very recent Pahlavi dynasty seeks to assure its legitimacy in the Muslim world.
The Queen Mother Nazli is the widow of King Fuad. After being rarely present in the ceremonies during her 17 years with Fouad including 14 years as queen consort of Egypt, the still pretty 45-year-old mother of the bride is the queen of the wedding.
Queen Nazli is wearing a diamond tiara and necklace commissioned for the occasion to Van Cleef et Arpels.
The platinum necklace is composed of small round and beguette diamonds for a total weight of 217 carats. A spectacular radiant pattern directed to a sun adorns the upper chest. It is inseparable from the neck lacing in four rows of diamonds going on each side to a diamond knot.
The necklace of Queen Nazli is estimated $ 3.6M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on December 9, lot 506.
The photo of the queen with her two French jewels is shared by Wikimedia with an error in the identification of the ceremony that does not impair its belonging to the public domain.
The Queen Mother Nazli is the widow of King Fuad. After being rarely present in the ceremonies during her 17 years with Fouad including 14 years as queen consort of Egypt, the still pretty 45-year-old mother of the bride is the queen of the wedding.
Queen Nazli is wearing a diamond tiara and necklace commissioned for the occasion to Van Cleef et Arpels.
The platinum necklace is composed of small round and beguette diamonds for a total weight of 217 carats. A spectacular radiant pattern directed to a sun adorns the upper chest. It is inseparable from the neck lacing in four rows of diamonds going on each side to a diamond knot.
The necklace of Queen Nazli is estimated $ 3.6M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on December 9, lot 506.
The photo of the queen with her two French jewels is shared by Wikimedia with an error in the identification of the ceremony that does not impair its belonging to the public domain.
1939 An Alfa Romeo coachworked by Pinin Farina
2014 SOLD 4 M$ including premium
Alfa Romeo developed in parallel two product lines for competition, in 6-cylinder and 8-cylinder. The engine volume increases over the years, for the 6C from 1.5 liters in 1926 to 2.5 liters in 1939.
In 1939, the new rules of competition no longer favor the supercharged cars that had built the glory of Alfa Romeo. The Italian manufacturer adapts its new 6C 2500 chassis to create a Super Sport model, also known as Tipo 256.
Twenty Tipo 256 are manufactured simultaneously. They aim to be used in race by both teams sponsored by Alfa Romeo, the Alfa Corse and the Scuderia Ferrari, some cars being also promised to their best customers including the Duce, Benito Mussolini. Note that the recent creation of the Alfa Corse competing with the Scuderia is one of the causes of the final quarrel between Enzo Ferrari and Alfa Romeo.
Some customers prefer to have the Tipo 256 as a cabriolet. One of these cars rebodied in July 1939 by Pinin Farina was perhaps the most expensive Italian car of its time.
Pinin Farina had probably entrusted the design of this one of its kind Alfa Romeo to the most innovative stylist of his time, Count Mario Revelli de Beaumont. Certainly very proud of this masterpiece, Pinin Farina published it as an ad in the July 1940 issue of the Auto Italiana magazine.
This particular car is a true precursor of the admirable postwar Italian cars. Piero Dusio, who created Cisitalia in 1946, owned it from 1940 to 1946.
Well preserved, the Tipo 256 bodied by Pinin Farina is estimated $ 5 million, for sale by Gooding at Pebble Beach on August 17, lot 144.
POST SALE COMMENT
The final list of results brings good news for the Alfa Romeo : sold for $ 4M including premium, probably a transaction after the floor session.
In 1939, the new rules of competition no longer favor the supercharged cars that had built the glory of Alfa Romeo. The Italian manufacturer adapts its new 6C 2500 chassis to create a Super Sport model, also known as Tipo 256.
Twenty Tipo 256 are manufactured simultaneously. They aim to be used in race by both teams sponsored by Alfa Romeo, the Alfa Corse and the Scuderia Ferrari, some cars being also promised to their best customers including the Duce, Benito Mussolini. Note that the recent creation of the Alfa Corse competing with the Scuderia is one of the causes of the final quarrel between Enzo Ferrari and Alfa Romeo.
Some customers prefer to have the Tipo 256 as a cabriolet. One of these cars rebodied in July 1939 by Pinin Farina was perhaps the most expensive Italian car of its time.
Pinin Farina had probably entrusted the design of this one of its kind Alfa Romeo to the most innovative stylist of his time, Count Mario Revelli de Beaumont. Certainly very proud of this masterpiece, Pinin Farina published it as an ad in the July 1940 issue of the Auto Italiana magazine.
This particular car is a true precursor of the admirable postwar Italian cars. Piero Dusio, who created Cisitalia in 1946, owned it from 1940 to 1946.
Well preserved, the Tipo 256 bodied by Pinin Farina is estimated $ 5 million, for sale by Gooding at Pebble Beach on August 17, lot 144.
POST SALE COMMENT
The final list of results brings good news for the Alfa Romeo : sold for $ 4M including premium, probably a transaction after the floor session.
1939 The Skin of the Cowardly Lion
2014 SOLD for $ 3.1M including premium
The Wizard of Oz, produced in 1939 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, remains the most popular fantasy film, and the Cowardly Lion is its most extravagant character.
This lion is a friend of Dorothy. He sings and dances while dreaming to find some courage and to become the king of the forest. The role was played by the burlesque actor Bert Lahr. He needed some toughness to play within this outfit because the skin is thick and heavy.
The costume was made from a real lion's hide. The realization was difficult because the technicians quickly appreciated that these animals are all different, excluding the possibility to use a spare habit. Two costumes of Cowardly Lion were made, but only one was used in the filming.
The screen used costume was acquired by a specialist who adorned it with a molded head of Bert Lahr's son. It was unsold in December 2011 at auction in Beverly Hills on an estimate of $ 2M.
It is now listed by Bonhams on November 24 in New York,lot 128.
A photo of Bert Lahr in the lion's skin is shared by Wikimedia:
This lion is a friend of Dorothy. He sings and dances while dreaming to find some courage and to become the king of the forest. The role was played by the burlesque actor Bert Lahr. He needed some toughness to play within this outfit because the skin is thick and heavy.
The costume was made from a real lion's hide. The realization was difficult because the technicians quickly appreciated that these animals are all different, excluding the possibility to use a spare habit. Two costumes of Cowardly Lion were made, but only one was used in the filming.
The screen used costume was acquired by a specialist who adorned it with a molded head of Bert Lahr's son. It was unsold in December 2011 at auction in Beverly Hills on an estimate of $ 2M.
It is now listed by Bonhams on November 24 in New York,lot 128.
A photo of Bert Lahr in the lion's skin is shared by Wikimedia:
1939 Secular Gospel for the Drinkers
2018 SOLD for $ 2.4M including premium
Alcoholism was a social problem of the utmost importance. In the United States the Prohibition had tried to take the root harm by banning the production but the side effects went worse when adulterated liquor was provided by the underworld. It is repealed in 1933.
In 1934 a heavy drinker considered as incurable by the doctors tries to recover. He understands that alcoholism is a mental and physical illness but not a sin. After failing in a spiritual approach, he conceives that only a former alcoholic can help a patient disavowed by his family and friends.
He stops drinking but that is not enough. During a professional visit that goes very badly at Akron OH, he feels that he will relapse and looks in the city for another incurable for a mutual help. He finds a surgeon whom he heals and persuades. Bill W and Dr. Bob consciously launched a chain of healing from that disabling illness, without a doctor, without a psychoanalyst, without a priest, simply by ordinary people helping other ordinary people.
They reached at the first attempt a balanced practice, based on the instinctive desire of drinkers to group together for avoiding their natural surroundings, on the protection against relapsing simply brought by the pride of helping another victim, on the anonymity and the absence of a guru which allow the patient to keep his freedom of thought.
They have founded a fraternity without registration and without obligation, without fees and without sponsoring, operating through regular local meetings where it is forbidden to debate anything else than the healing from alcohol. They are the Alcoholics Anonymous.
The method is pragmatic and the early successes are blatant. That deserves a book in which the two founders actively participate. This is another achievement. The first typed draft is sent to a large number of sympathizers invited to comment from their personal experience.
The modifications are written on a reference copy that is considered suitable for publication early in 1939. This 161-page document is a unique example of a collective text serving a great cause. It was sold for $ 1.58M including premium by Sotheby's on June 18, 2004. It is estimated $ 2M for sale by Profiles in History in Calabasas CA on May 5, single lot of the sale here linked on iCollector bidding platform.
The book titled Alcoholics Anonymous is also known by its nickname The Big Book. Its basic principles are applied in all countries of the world.
In 1934 a heavy drinker considered as incurable by the doctors tries to recover. He understands that alcoholism is a mental and physical illness but not a sin. After failing in a spiritual approach, he conceives that only a former alcoholic can help a patient disavowed by his family and friends.
He stops drinking but that is not enough. During a professional visit that goes very badly at Akron OH, he feels that he will relapse and looks in the city for another incurable for a mutual help. He finds a surgeon whom he heals and persuades. Bill W and Dr. Bob consciously launched a chain of healing from that disabling illness, without a doctor, without a psychoanalyst, without a priest, simply by ordinary people helping other ordinary people.
They reached at the first attempt a balanced practice, based on the instinctive desire of drinkers to group together for avoiding their natural surroundings, on the protection against relapsing simply brought by the pride of helping another victim, on the anonymity and the absence of a guru which allow the patient to keep his freedom of thought.
They have founded a fraternity without registration and without obligation, without fees and without sponsoring, operating through regular local meetings where it is forbidden to debate anything else than the healing from alcohol. They are the Alcoholics Anonymous.
The method is pragmatic and the early successes are blatant. That deserves a book in which the two founders actively participate. This is another achievement. The first typed draft is sent to a large number of sympathizers invited to comment from their personal experience.
The modifications are written on a reference copy that is considered suitable for publication early in 1939. This 161-page document is a unique example of a collective text serving a great cause. It was sold for $ 1.58M including premium by Sotheby's on June 18, 2004. It is estimated $ 2M for sale by Profiles in History in Calabasas CA on May 5, single lot of the sale here linked on iCollector bidding platform.
The book titled Alcoholics Anonymous is also known by its nickname The Big Book. Its basic principles are applied in all countries of the world.
