Auction Date:2009 Jun 24 @ 10:00 (UTC-04:00 : AST/EDT)
Location:6270 Este Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45232, United States
3pp, 5.25 x 8", Nantucket, n.d. Addressed to Mrs. Gay(?), contents personal (when various people were visiting Boston or Nantucket, etc.).
Maria Mitchell (1818-1889) was born on Nantucket to a Quaker family. Her father was astronomer William Mitchell and when his daughter showed talent for science early in her life, he gave her encouragement and the mathematical and scientific training she would need. At the time Nantucket was the center of the American whaling industry, and marine navigation entails an interest in astronomy. The necessities of managing a household while men are at sea also "breeds" a class of independent women. Those factors along with her father's encouragement set Maria along a course that would win her international acclaim. One fall night in 1847, as she was peering through a telescope on the roof of her parent's home, she realized the fuzzy object she was looking at was a comet, and is credited with the discovery. She had assisted her father in 1835 in recording the movements of Halley's comet, and thus knew well what she was seeing. The discovery brought her not only international fame, but even an award from the King of Denmark.
Eventually Mitchell would become the first woman member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1848), the first woman elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science and eventually its president in 1875. She would spend most of her academic career as director of the observatory at Vassar College, although as a young woman she had worked as a librarian at the Nantucket Athenum. She used her position to support women's rights, helping to establish the Association for the Advancement of Women. Her religious convictions also led her to fight slavery, and she was involved in a number of anti-slavery societies before the war. Reportedly she refused to wear cotton clothing because of its connection with slavery, and continued to do so even after the end of the war and emancipation.
Condition: Expected folds, minor wear. Previous owner's lightly penciled notes, such as "Mitchell" after the signature "Maria."
Auction Location:
6270 Este Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45232, United States
Previewing Details:
Tuesday, June 23, 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday, June 24 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| Ohio |
5.5% |
Ohio State Tax |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
17.5% |
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
Cowan's is happy to provide a shipping estimate in advance of the auction. We have partnered with an outside shipper - Wrap-It Postal. Their services to our respected customers are based inside the Cowans facility.Please contact Wrap-It Postal by email at shipping@cowans.com, or call 513.871.1670 (ext.19). You can also submit a request for an online quote . All shipping and packing costs will be charged separately by Wrap-It Postal to your credit card on file.
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The purchase price for each lot shall equal the hammer price, buyer's premium, sales tax and, if applicable, all packing, handling, insurance and shipping costs. Payment may be made with cash, personal or traveler's check, Visa or MasterCard.
Buyers who are present at the auction must pay the full purchase price at the time of the sale. Buyers who bid by telephone or who are absentee bidders will be invoiced within 5 days after the close of the auction and must pay the full purchase price for each purchased lot within 14 days after the date of the auction. By signing the absentee bid form or placing an absentee bid by telephone, an absentee bidder authorizes Cowan's to charge the purchase price (hammer price, plus buyer's premium) for each lot for which such bidder is the successful bidder to the credit card number provided by telephone or on the absentee bid form, unless payment in full or alternative payment instruction is received within 14 days after the date of the auction. No property will be released by Cowan's unless the purchase price has been paid in full.
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Cowan's is happy to provide a shipping estimate in advance of the auction. We have partnered with an outside shipper - Wrap-It Postal. Their services to our respected customers are based inside the Cowans facility.Please contact Wrap-It Postal by email at shipping@cowans.com, or call 513.871.1670 (ext.19). You can also submit a request for an online quote . All shipping and packing costs will be charged separately by Wrap-It Postal to your credit card on file.
Cowan's is in no way responsible for the acts or omissions of independent handlers, packers or shippers of purchased items or for any loss, damage or delay from the packing or shipping of any property.
ADVICE TO INTERNATIONAL BUYERS: Cowan's will not ship any package containing a firearm to any location other than within the United States. Buyers outside the United States must make their own shipping arrangements taking full risk for the transportation of any firearm.
16) SHIPPING CHARGES
Buyers are required to pay for all packing, shipping and insurance charges. Overseas duty charges are the responsibility of the successful bidder. Be aware that for larger and/or valuable items, shipping charges can be substantial.
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