ALS as president, one page, 7 x 8.75, White House letterhead, February 19, 1934. Letter to Frank C. Deering, in full: "Some day I shall hope to heave the pleasure of seeing your collection—I, too, have been collecting source material for many years—mostly U. S. Navy." In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope addressed in Roosevelt's hand.
Frank C. Deering of Saco, Maine, a member of the American Antiquarian Society, was a noted bibliophile and one of the great collectors of early Americana. His personal library focused on New England history, Western narratives, and Indian narratives and captivities. Although Franklin D. Roosevelt was better known as an avid stamp collector, he also spent much of his spare time dedicated to a massive American naval history collection, primarily composed of prints, engravings, and paintings.
FDR’s collection of naval artwork earned renewed national interest in 1962, when President John F. Kennedy initiated an exhibition dedicated to it at the National Archives, organized under the name ‘The Old Navy, 1776-1860: An Exhibit of Prints and Watercolors from the Naval Collection of Franklin D. Roosevelt.’ Kennedy also published a fascinating article in the August 10, 1962 issue of Life Magazine, detailing his impressions of the collection and describing Roosevelt’s collecting habits. In closing, JFK observed: ‘‘The Old Navy’ is thus evidence of the collecting passion of an extraordinary President. But it is much more than this. It is, as Roosevelt intended it should be, a reminder of the strength and style of our naval tradition.’
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