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Lot #429
Gutzon Borglum Signed Photograph

Oversized portrait of Mount Rushmore’s creator

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Estimate: $400+
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Description

Oversized portrait of Mount Rushmore’s creator

Matte-finish 10 x 13.5 photo, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, "To my dear friends—What are friends and who? Those who understand—and we believe love us—Ralph & Hazel Bradford, affectionately, Gutzon Borglum, Oct 22-1933, Washington D.C." In fine condition, with a few light border stains, and a crease to the lower left corner. Ralph Bradford, a writer and manager of the Corpus Christi Chamber of Congress, was a close friend of Borglum and employed him while planning the redevelopment of the Corpus Christi waterfront in the late 1920s. He produced several models of his sweeping redesign of the bayfront, which called for a smooth seawall resembling an amphitheater topped by parapets, a grand boulevard dotted with parks, and an imposing 32-foot statue of Christ atop the rock jetties in the bay. The plan was eventually tabled, though postwar construction somewhat resembled his plans. A fascinating association with one of Borglum's unrealized artistic visions.

Auction Info

  • Auction Title: Fine Autograph and Artifacts
  • Dates: #616 - Ended September 15, 2021





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