Lot 761

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Description:

Comprehensive archive of nearly 350 hand-illustrated postal covers, each 6 ½" x 3 ¾", all executed during World War II by prolific artist Gladys Edmiston, better known by her pen name Gladys Adler. The illustrations presented here, accomplished in blank ink and watercolor paint, cover a dizzying array of patriotic and anti-Axis subjects. These include: numerous caricatures of Axis leaders Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Hideki Tojo; allegorical depictions of the liberation of France and the Philippines, and the setbacks and defeats handed to Axis forces by Allied soldiers; "V for Victory" and Uncle Sam patriotic motifs; exhortations to buy war bonds; salutes to Texas soldiers, WACs, American airmen, the Red Cross, Lend-Lease, merchant sailors, and others; cautionary images regarding atomic energy; scenes of battle; and countless other detailed and vibrant images. The majority are addressed, stamped and franked, although some blank examples are present. The collection also includes numerous doubles, but still features examples of more than 200 unique scenes. Also present are 23 additional illustrated covers by Adler, bearing scenes not related to World War II. This vast collection begs to be examined in person. All are very good to fine and are housed in three archival albums with slipcases. Gladys Edmiston began to create these illustrated covers around 1936, often with the assistance of her children. Her World War II work is highly sought-after, with a well-known set of three presenting caricatures of Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo commonly selling for $800-1000. No less than five examples of this particular set are presented here. Also present is a checklist of Adler's work, photocopied from the 2006 book "United States Patriotic Envelopes of World War II", by Lawrence Sherman. Our consignor has used this checklist to keep track of the examples present in his collection and has added numerous examples that Sherman does not list. Further documentation is provided by an article photocopied from the May-June 2007 issue of "The Texas Philatelist", presenting an interview with Edmiston's daughter, Florene, and providing a biography of the family, as well as the October 2010 issue of "American Philatelist", presenting a short feature on Gladys Adler's caricatures of Axis leaders.

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November 13, 2018 10:00 AM EST
Chesapeake City, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000