President Roosevelt’s personally-owned and -worn navy blue silk neck tie with golden polka dots, made by A. Sulka & Company, measuring 47″ long. A small white tag is sewn inside the collar area and embroidered in red with the president’s initials, “F. D. R.,” and the A. Sulka & Company tag is sewn to the narrow end. Various portions of the dots' golden thread have faded to black and there is significant fraying to edges of the tie, particularly in the collar area. Includes a letter of provenance on a White House card from the wife of Irineo Esperancilla, formerly chief steward of the Navy. In full: “The Blue Tie with the gold dots was owned and worn by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt. My husband Irineo Esperancilla served our President from 1927–1955. During WWII he was one of F. D. R.’s valets.” Esperancilla assisted primary valet Arthur Prettyman when it became necessary for FDR to have two valets due to his health issues. Accompanied by a photocopy of an important news article about Esperancilla, detailing his close personal service to Presidents Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower.
