Lot 52
Eisenhower, Dwight D. Original Oil Painting by Dwight D. Eisenhower, with holograph note on the verso: "Telegraph Cottage -- small house south of London, where I lived while planning both Torch (1942) and Overlord (1944). Painted for Master Sgt. Moaney in 1949 from a water color. Dwight D. Eisenhower / Jan. 1, 1950" The painting is initialed "DE" in red paint in the lower left corner. The painting, primarily brown, green, and blue, is 14 x 18 inches. It is beautifully matted and framed to an overall size of 19½ x 23½ inches. General Eisenhower's inscription to Master Sgt. Moaney is written on the black canvas backing. Painting was a form of relaxation for Eisenhower; he used it to create a few original oil mementoes for special friends. This is the only original Eisenhower painting that we have ever heard of having a personalized, historical explanation of the painting itself by Eisenhower.
Moaney became the General's valet in 1942 when Eisenhower was designated Commanding General, European Theater, with headquarters in London. Operation Torch was a plan hatched by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt to attack the "soft underbelly of Europe" through the Mediterranean; the plan was to occupy French North Africa and use it as a springboard for attacks on Italy. In December, 1943, Eisenhower became Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Forces, planning and coordinating the land, sea and air forces for Operation Overlord, the Normandy invasion of June 6, 1944. When the General painted this original painting, he was president of Columbia University in New York (1948-50). In 1951-52 he would serve as the first Supreme Commander of NATO forces in Europe before serving two terms as President of the United States.
Through all these years, from 1942 until Eisenhower's death at his Gettysburg farm in 1969, Moaney was his valet. The men developed a close relationship, and General Eisenhower asked that Moaney be assigned to him when he became President; likewise, when Eisenhower retired to his Gettysburg farm, he asked President Kennedy to allow him to take Moaney with him. Eisenhower gave Moaney many personal mementoes through the years, including this painting, which at one time hung in the White House. A couple of snapshots are included that show Sgt. Moaney and other staff members with the painting hanging on the wall behind them. Ike also remembered Moaney in his will.
Estimated Value $100,000 - 125,000.
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