(ART) Papers of Samuel AB Abbott of the American Academy in

Sale 2263 - Lot 61

Price Realized: $ 1,680

?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price

Estimate: $ 500 - $ 750

(ART.) Papers of Samuel A.B. Abbott of the American Academy in Rome. More than 200 items (0.6 linear feet); various sizes and conditions, generally well preserved. Vp, 1854-1931

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Samuel Appleton Brown Abbott (1846-1931) was president of the board of the Boston Public Library (1879 to 1895), where he oversaw the construction of its famous library building, and later served as director of the American Academy of Rome, where he lived from 1898 until his death. This collection includes approximately 140 letters to and from Abbott dated 1854 to 1931, with many relating to the American Academy. Two letters are written from the Civil War front; his Harvard classmate Chap Dwight described General Philip Sheridan at length as "a man of the greatest nervous energy" (2 December 1864). Most of the letters date from 1895 to 1931. Among the prominent correspondents are Edward Everett Hale, Charles Francis Adams, architect Charles F. McKim, Henry Cabot Lodge, and Maud Howe Elliott. Also included are an oversized guest book for his Villa Lontana in Rome, 1905-1931; his 1871 diary of a European tour; his Italian address book; and other papers. The collection also includes a small group of family papers from two of Abbott's wives, and family estate papers. A more detailed inventory is available upon request.