Portrait of FDR, Signed and Inscribed by Roosevelt to Samuel Messer

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/23/2017

ROOSEVELT, Franklin Delano (1882 – 1945) was the 32nd president of the United States. A child of privilege from a New York Dutch patroon family, Roosevelt served as assistant secretary of the Navy and governor of New York before running for president at the height of the Great Depression in 1932. Consistently ranked by historians among our nation’s greatest presidents, FDR’s unprecedented four terms guided the United States through the twin crises of the Depression and World War II.Print, signed and inscribed in ink, “For my friend Samuel Messer, from Franklin D. Roosevelt.” 1932. 18-1/2” x 24-1/2”. Samuel Messer was one of the largest stockholders of Quaker State Oil Refining Company, which was created by the consolidation and merger of 19 companies in June 1931, the year before the date of this print. He was also a presidential elector for the Democratic ticket in 1932. The image was the official portrait for the 1932 campaign. It was drawn by Jacob H. Perskie, the photographer and portrait painter for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1932 and 1936 presidential campaigns. A smaller version, with a printed signature, was also issued in 1932 with excerpts from letters from Roosevelt to the artist printed on the back. On that smaller print, FDR wrote, “Your splendid portrait . . . has been much admired by all those connected with our Campaign.” This larger portrait features FDR’s autograph inscription and signature.

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