Lot 287
It is signed and dated 5-16-59 by the African American artist John Bruen Sr. John Bruen was born in 1906 in Goshen, NY, and lived in that community his entire life. His grandfather was a runaway slave, who had shown John the scars on his back from the whippings he had received as a slave, and which remained on him until the day he died. Because of his heritage, John was working for civil rights for all Americans long before it became fashionable to do so. As a young man, he worked grooming horses at the Goshen Historic Track in Goshen, New York. It was there, as a boy, that he learned his love of reading and especially his love of history. John married Gertrude Van Dyke in 1925, and they had six children. John loved his family and taught them to share his love of liberty and of history. He worked for 30 years for the Erie Railroad, but was a true renaissance man: in the 1930s, John began his career as a semi-pro baseball player. In one season, he had an astonishing .517 batting average. Those were the days when professional baseball was closed to Black Americans. However, when Jackie Robinson broke that color barrier, forever, John Bruen was one of the first to cheer him on. John became an expert on the life stories of those heroes who paved the way for equality: Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, W.E.B. Dubois, Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as Jackie Robinson, and a host of others. John was a good friend of another outstanding resident of our region Floyd Patterson and the two of them shared their love for boxing, at which John also tried his hand, and for humanitarianism. John had a gift for the written word, and from 1959 until near his death, the daily and weekly newspapers in Orange County, New York, published his views on the issues of the day. Please ask specific questions on details, condition, and shipping prior to bidding, ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD AS IS, and the bidder will be responsible for payment. We box and ship what we can to keep costs low, and use USPS and UPS. Large items, extremely fragile, and high value items will be packed by UPS. Quotes available on request
- Dimensions: 4.25" x 7" and 5" x 7" framed
- Condition: Excellent Condition
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $49 | $5 |
| $50 | $99 | $5 |
| $100 | $199 | $10 |
| $200 | $499 | $25 |
| $500 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $2,999 | $100 |
| $3,000 | $9,999 | $250 |
| $10,000 + | $500 |