124 Franklin D. Roosevelt’s
Blue Silk Scarf
ESTIMATE: $1,500-$2,000 President Roosevelt’s handsome, quality personally-owned and -worn navy blue scarf with an intricate white diamond pattern, measuring 46˝ long and 10.5˝ wide, featuring lovely satintextured bands at either end. A small white tag is sewn along the edge of one end and embroidered in red with the president’s name, “Roosevelt,” and the manufacturer’s tag is sewn at the other end, reading “Scarf by Cisco” on one side and “Rayon 5” on the other. Includes a letter of provenance on a White House card from the wife of Irineo Esperancilla, formerly chief steward of the Navy. In part: “The lovely Blue Scarf with a white diamond design…was owned and worn by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. My husband, Irineo Esperancilla, served our President from 1927–1955. During WWII he was one of F. D. R.’s valets.” Esperancilla assisted primary valet Arthur Prettyman when it became necessary for FDR to have two valets due to his health issues. A stunning piece of practicality and quality.
125 Franklin D. Roosevelt’s
Undershirt
ESTIMATE: $400-$600 President Roosevelt’s personally-owned and -worn off-white cotton tank-top undershirt made by Lord & Taylor, the well-known upscale store in New Youkand Washington, DC. The manufacturer’s tag is sewn into the collar area, below which is a small white tag embroidered in red with the president’s name, “F. D. Roosevelt.” Includes a detailed letter of provenance on White House letterhead from the wife of Arthur S. Prettyman. In part: “It is my pleasure to present to you this tank-top undershirt that was owned and used by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt...Arthur brought it from Warm Springs, GA, immediately after the death of the President on April 12, 1945. He was with the President on that final trip…This tank-top undershirt is of fine quality cotton and was from Lord & Taylor, ‘The Man’s Shop,’ New York. It has the department store label sewn at the top and FDR’s usual cotton laundry label…The shirt is a Henley-style button-top neck with a cotton reinforced placket and four buttons. ” A poignant, personally-worn item from Roosevelt’s final days.
82 | September 17, 2014 | Boston, Massachusetts | Raleigh DeGeer Amyx Collection