Lot 184
King, Martin Luther Jr (1929-1968) Baptist minister; Civil Rights activist; Nobel Laureate. Typed Letter Signed on engraved letterhead of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was pastor, 1p, 10"x6½" (Jamaica, New York) 1958 October 17. Very fine. To Mrs. Margaret Mary Jamieson, who had written a letter to Dr. King while he was recuperating in the hospital from a stab wound inflicted on September 20, 1958, by a mentally-ill African-American woman, Izola Curry, while he was promoting his book, Stride Toward Freedom: the Montgomery Story, in a Harlem department store.
In part: "Thank you so much for the lovely letter you wrote to me while I was in Harlem Hospital….Your kind words and genuine concern come as a great spiritual lift to me and give me the strength and courage to face the ordeal of this trying period. I am glad to report that I am making good progress and am well on the road to a complete recovery….It warms me, deeply, to know that you are interested in the whole struggle for Civil Rights. May I solicit your prayers and continued good wishes as I prepare to rejoin the ranks of those who are working tirelessly and ceaselessly for the realization of the ideals of Freedom, Brotherhood and Human Dignity."
It was during his recovery from this assault that King began to formulate his philosophy of personal redemption through suffering, and to see his miraculous survival as a sign that God had spared him for a purpose. The next year (1959) King traveled to India to study Ghandi's techniques of non-violence; they would be much used and much tested in the years to come.
Dr. King's letter is matted with the transmittal envelope, a description, and a brochure from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, founded in 1957 with Dr. King as its president. The brochure is titled "Crusade For Citizenship," and its stated purpose is "to Double the Negro vote in the South." Framed to an overall size of 15½"x31¾". A superlative letter.
Estimated Value $7,500 - 10,000.
Ex: James Ruddy Collection.
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| Realized $9,000 |
