Archives International Auctions Auction 83 February 28, 2023

Archives International Auctions - Sale 83 65 February 28, 2023 Archives International Auctions www.archivesinternational.com 331 331 Revolutionary War Promissory Note, Connecticut 1779, Signed by Fenn Wadsworth Connecticut, 1779. Handwritten promissory note to pay Chauncey Whittelsey 500 Pounds and “charge the state” dated February 2nd, 1779. Signed by Committee of the Pay-Table members John Chenward and Fenn Wadsworth, and Connecticut Treasurer John Lawrence. Promissory Notes like this were issued by the State of Connecticut help to finance the Revolutionary War. Military finances in the state of Connecticut were managed by the Pay-Table, which was also known as the Committee of Four during the Revolutionary War. Chauncey Whittelsey (likely 1746- 1812, but could be his father with the same name, who lived from 1717-1787 and was also active during the war) was appointed by the state to be the active purchasing clothier during the Revolutionary War. In May of 1782 Whittelsey was appointed quartermaster- general of the militia, and his name appears in many records of the time. John Lawrence (1719-1802) served as treasurer of the Connecticut colony, and later as the Connecticut State Treasurer from 1769 to 1789, spanning the crucial period of colonial rule, through the American revolution, and into the early years of the United States. During the Revolutionary War, Lawrence was commissioner of loans for the new nation. Fenn Wadsworth (1750/51-1785) was a brigade major to General James Wadsworth from 1776 to 1779. He fought in many battles during that time, but his failing health forced him to leave active service. Wadsworth stayed in Connecticut’s government, as shown by his membership to the Pay-Table Committee. Fascinating piece of early American history. VF condition for its age. ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� Est. $110-220 Massachusetts 332 332 Treasury Office. Receipt viz. Army Notes, 1790 Massachusetts, 1790. Certificate from the Treasury Office detailing payment for a solider named Lewis Hurd, Signed by Colt as Treasurer with the previous treasurer Huntington crossed out, Certificate is in XF-AU condition. ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� Est. $55-100 U.S. Obsolete Banknotes Louisiana 333 333 Varieties Theatre in New Orleans, ND (ca.1860-70) Obsolete AdvertisingNote for “Under theGaslight” Play. NewOrleans, Louisiana. ND (ca.1860-70) 100 Cents, Admission ticket for the play “Under the Gaslight.” (Under the Gaslight is an 1867 play by Augustin Daly. It was his first successful play, and is a primary example of a melodrama, best known for its suspense scene where a person is tied to railroad tracks as a train approaches, only to be saved from death at the last possible moment.) Black on green underprint with allegorical young women at left and right and the famous train scene at the bottom. The play was preformed at the Varieties Theatre located on Gravier Street, New Orleans. One of the most important playhouses in New Orleans was Placide’s “Varieties,” which stood on Gravier, between Carondelet and Baronne, near the site of the present Cotton Exchange. Varieties Alley still preserves its name. The house opened in 1849 under the management of Tom Placide, who was himself an actor, and not infrequently took part in the plays which he produced. It was built by an association known as the “Varieties Club,” which came into existence in 1849, but which was connected with another dramatic club, the Histrionics, the origin of which has been traced back as far as the year 1840. The theater burned in 1854 and was rebuilt the next year, opening under the management of Dion Boucicault, who called it “The Gaiety.” It regained its old name and burned again in 1870. The proprietors now changed the location of their theater, purchasing land in Canal Street and Dauphine, where the Maison Blanche stands. This last Varieties, which was afterwards called the Grand Opera House, was opened in 1871. It was for many years under the control of Lawrence Barrett, who played here for the first time in the classical repertoire which later gained him lasting fame. The theater was one of the best known in the South. Fine to VF condition with archival reinforcement on the back at fold splitting and a stain on the upper left corner. Rare New Orleans advertising note. ������������������������������������ Est. $550-750 Maine 334 334 Washington County Bank, 1835, & Lincoln County Bank, 1862, Issued Obsolete Banknote Pair. Maine, 1835-62. Lot of 2 Issued Notes, Includes: 1835, Calais, Maine. Washington County Bank $5 Note, Black printing with multiple vignettes and symbols; and, 1862, Wiscasset, Maine. Lincoln County Bank $1 Note, Black on red underprint with young girl on lower right and sailor on top middle, red protector. Both pieces are in VF-XF condition. (2). ����������������������������������������� Est. $180-350