Museum deaccessions and couture from the estate of early Twentieth Century socialite Doris Duke proved to be excellent fodder for Charles A. Whitaker Auction Company’s 16th consecutive specialty vintage clothing and textile sale. Combined with numerous other collections, estate items and consignments, the two-day auction, May 1 and 2, was without doubt an exciting event.
One of the big draws of the auction was the name of Doris Duke, as numerous items of clothing that she had worn, or purchased and had never worn, had been consigned from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Having already secured many of the important Duke couture items for display at the foundation, the powers that be made the decision to release a substantial amount of material that was in or would have been in storage.
Whitaker’s was one of two auction houses in the Pennsylvania/New Jersey area that was selling merchandise from the heiress’s foundation that weekend. Duke, a consummate shopper and fashion conscious socialite, was the only child of James Buchanan Duke, founder of the American Tobacco Company, Duke Energy Company and the patron of Duke University in North Carolina. Her father died when she was just 12 years old and she inherited his immense fortune, becoming one of the wealthiest women in the world.
Aside from the Duke items, offerings from institutional collections were plentiful and they included deaccessions from the Indianapolis Museum of Art, The Cooper-Hewitt Museum, The Mint Museum, The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, a major New York City museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Dayton History and the TDF Costume Collection.
In addition, several private collections were sold, with top billing going to the collection of William L. Brown III, author of Thoughts on Men’s Shirts in America 1750‱900. The collection was offered in its entirety, including virtually all of the shirts pictured in the book.
A good-sized crowd was on hand for the specialty sale, with the vast majority of items selling in the room. Phone bidders were able to claim lots periodically, however, and every now and then an Internet bidder would jump into the fray and claim an item or two.
As Whitaker stepped up to the auction block, he chuckled as he pointed out a series of hanging printed fabric panels that had been used at the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s exhibition “Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli.” Each of the 12 panels had an image and a musing by Schiaparelli concerning what a woman’s attitude toward clothes shopping should be.
After briefly explaining the various uses that the panels could assume for a new owner, Whitaker stated, “These are the 12 commandments for women, and I would like to particularly call attention to number 7 and number 12.” The crowd focused their eyes on the seventh panel first, which read, “They should choose their clothes alone or in the company of a man,” and then on to the final panel of the set, number 12, which stated, “And she should pay her own bills.”
A woman in the front row took exception to commandment number 12, which widened the auctioneer’s smile and he stated, “No one likes number 12, but we will make an exception for you.”
The people in the crowd were there to buy, and buy they did. The auction got off to a brisk start on Friday morning with a local collector’s group of hair combs, approximately 150 of them. The group was highlighted by several sterling, horn, plique and carved celluloid examples.
Whitaker held the first lot into the air and asked for an opening bid of $50 for three hair combs, including one oversized French ivory fan-shaped model. Bids came from several in the crowd, with the lot hammering down moments later to a buyer in the front row for $92. It did not take long for the better examples to surface as a plique a jour mounted celluloid hair comb, circa 1900, with paste jewels was actively bid to $460. A sterling silver high back comb, circa 1875, pierced and engraved with strawberries and foliate, hammered down at $488.
From the same collection came a selection of hat pins, with two gold and amethyst pins selling at $805.
Victorian tussie-mussies did extremely well, with an engraved sterling example selling at $1,265, another with Native American engravings brought $862, and a pair of sterling examples with various designs realized $1,150.
A silver plated bride’s lingerie chest, circa 1880, with repousse foliage and a heart-shaped lock sold at $1,495, and a painted wall hanging from India brought $1,092,
Table cloths from “The Rich and Famous” did quite well, with an allover beaded table cover attracting attention from collectors. With an overall ivory ground, blue and red floral border and a central rose medallion, the piece measured 82 by 86 inches. In very good overall condition with only minor losses, the late Nineteenth Century example sold at $1,610.
A cream linen and lace banquet cloth measuring 68 by 107 inches, circa 1920, with Vanderbilt provenance sold at $2,300, while two other similar examples brought $1,265 each. A large set of damask napkins embroidered with the Wannamaker family crest also did well, hammering down at $402.
Four French monogrammed linen bed sheets from La Grande Maison Blanche, Chinon, also attracted a great deal of attention, with the lot going out at $747.
Also sold the first day was a selection of shawls, with an Egyptian Asuite cocoon shawl, circa 1920, in black cotton with a heavy silver diamond pattern selling at $1,035. A kashmiri wool paisley shawl sold at $632, while an early Twentieth Century Chinese silk export shawl brought $920.
A Tashkent three-panel silk with cotton embroidered Suzzani brought $2,300, and a plum silk Suzzani realized $1,725.
The top lot of the auction came on the second day as a Madame Gres strapless black silk cocktail dress from the 1950s was offered. The dress was cataloged as “boned bodice, pleated V-front with bow, wrap skirt with gathered fullness to one side over a layer of stiffened material, chiffon bodice lining with attached garters, side zipper. Labeled Gres 1 Rue de la Paix, Paris.” Bidding on the lot was brisk, with it selling at $5,750.
Another dress that did well was a French cutwork chiffon and silver beaded flapper dress in lemon yellow that sold at $1,265. Several svelte evening gowns brought hefty prices, including a French Belle Epoch trained and crystal bead encrusted silk satin gown that hammered down at $1,955, while a sleeveless white cotton gown with ruffled train brought $977.
The selection of gent’s clothing attracted substantial interest, with a pumpkin silk frock coat, circa 1825, leading the way. The double breasted coat with four-panel construction, tight sleeves and a rolled collar sold at $4,887.
A double breasted blue wool broadcloth tail coat, circa 1825, was another of the lots to do well. The stylish gent’s coat, retaining the original “Scovill’s Best Double Gilt” buttons, sold at $4,600. Another blue wool tailcoat, perhaps slightly earlier, with notched lapels also elicited strong bidding, selling at $2,875.
A pair of circa 1850 men’s deadstock fly-front trousers in tan linen retaining the original size-tag sewn to the rear and with six suspender buttons was another of the gent’s clothing to create a stir. Bidding on the lot was brisk, bringing $2,587. A pair of wool pants, also circa 1850, in a brown and tan checked pattern did well at $2,300, while a men’s cotton plaid shirt in a red, white and blue heavily woven pattern realized $1,150.
Several Pennsylvania brightly colored appliqué quilts were among the offerings; a green, yellow and pink example with potted flowers made $1,265.
Other items of interest included a pair of ladies four-strap shoes, circa 1913, that realized $2,070, and numerous deadstock handbags, such as a pair of Sisco crocodile bags at $1,092 and two Roberta Di Camerino bags at $546.
From a New York City museum collection came a large group of swatch/sample books, mostly French from the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century. Laid out on tables across the rear of the preview area, the books were thoroughly examined by the crowd. Offered near the end of the first day’s cataloged session, the first of the swatch books, featuring a selection of paisley samples, hammered down at $34. A glance across the many tables of swatch books created initial worries; however, a few lots later a lot of beaded and embroidered samples sold at $1,035.
With things looking up, a single large sample book of assembled swatches crossed the auction block to realize $2,185; a lot of three fancy French silk ribbon sample books also brought $2,185, as did a single book of silk samples. Prices remained strong right through to the end of the swatch books, with the final lot of the cataloged session, lot 495, a lot of ten sample books from the 1950s, selling at $1,150.
Prices include the buyer’s premium charged. For further information, 215-817-4600 or www.whitakerauction.com .
