Apr 18, 2019 - Sale 2506

Sale 2506 - Lot 280

Price Realized: $ 1,235
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 1,000 - $ 1,500
(INDUSTRY--EARTHMOVING EQUIPMENT)
A selection of 70 photographs associated with the R.G. Letourneau Earthmoving Equipment Company, the leading manufacturer of tractor, bulldozer, and crane equipment; plus a mini-archive of salesman's pamphlets, catalogs, and other ephemeral materials.
The prints depict large land sites during the early days of the New Deal era, and show big infrastructure projects undertaken by LeTourneau and Caterpillar in Oregon, Washington, Chicago, Pennsylvania, and California, with a handful from England. With images of constructing highways, erecting bridges, building dams, and local projects like reclaiming or sorting coal from culm banks. Silver prints, the images measuring 7 1/2x9 1/2 inches (19x24.1 cm.), and the reverse, many with caption labels on verso. 1935-44

Additional Details

The mini-archive originally belonged to Lee Jorgenson, the company's VP of Equipment Sales. R.G. Tourneau, in addition to his role as a successful CEO, was also known for his advancement of the Gospel, living on 10% of his income, and donating 90% to Christian causes.