The Washington herald., 1907-04-05
WHITE SALE BEGINS
Slain Architects Effects
Bring Big Prices.
CROWD ATTENDS AUCTION
David BeIasco Mods Approval OF
Artistic Ensemble and Proves
Eager Purchaser-scramble for
Sofa Cushions Causes One 10 Sell
for s17O-Everything to BE sold.

New York. April 4.-What must have
represented years of careful collecting by
Stanford White was disposed of in two
hours to-day at the auction sale con-
Quoted in the White residence. 121 East
Twenty-first street, under the direction
of the American Art Association. Yet so
rich is the house in objects of value that
there will be two days of sale yet before
the rooms are stripped. From a bronze
vase the size of ones palm up to the
painted wood of the ceiling of a music
room, every fragment of brass. tapestry.
and wood carving on the three floors OF
the house is listed for sale.
Admission to the sale is by card only,
and cards are hard to secure at the rooms
of the American Art Association, on East
Twenty third street. BY 2;S0, the time
set for the opening of the sale, the music
room on the first main floor and the
smaller room in front Of it were crowded,
and late Corners were standing in a
fringe back almost out of hearing Of the
auctioneers voice.
Among those who were there were Mrs.
Walter Oakman, Mrs. Harry Payne
Whitney. Mrs. Robert Goelet. Mrs.
Worthington Whittredge and Miss Whit
tredge, Mrs. George B. Hurd, Mr.. and
Mrs. J. II. Freelander Mrs. George
Arents, jr., Mr.. George Bliss and Miss
Bliss, Mrs Frederick Bull, Evarts Tracy,
Mrs. Algernon Tracy, Mr. and Mrs. Ed
son Bradley. F. NJ. Turner. David Belasco.
William R. Hearst, and Charles A. Plat.
BeIascO Approves Singing.
Thomas f. Kirby, of the American Art
Association. who acted as auetioneer. ar
ranged hanging green velvet curtains and
a slender legged stand in the north end
Of the music room on which to display
the various art objects. As each number
was called out. two liveried negroes ap-
peared from behind the green curtains
with the carving or candle branches and
supported them under group light on
the little stand before the green plush.
Mr.. Belasco, who was a keen buyer. was
seen to nod approval at the artistic
ensemble.
POtteries and small bronzes were first
put up for bidding. Immediately it be-
came apparent that it needed no fatter-
ing descriptions from the auctioneer to
makethe prices jump
Scramble for Sofa Cushions.
One of the features of the sale to-day
was the scramble for sofa cushions. 1t
appeared that on even SO humble an ar
ticla of value as this, the seal Of Mr..
Whites approval put double value. To
be sure, all Of the cushions were antiques.
Fine old Flemish tapestries and antique
red silks served as covers. In each in
stance SO was a bottom price and the
bidding briskly hoisted the cost to as high
as $40 for a single cushion.
Antique Genoese red velvet royal dis
patch bag" read the order of sale, and
one of the attendants held up a long red
embroidered bag of a curious design.
There were aTmOrial embroideries on the
face and reverse. It looked Ike a palace
slipper bag in the period of Queen Cath
crime de Medici. Again. BelascO's was the
mai word, and SlO5 was the price he paid
for the GenOese property.
The sale viii continue tomorrow after
noon and Saturday.