1940 WWII War Seabiscuit Steinway Piano Hall Magicians - ORIGINAL RTO1
Period Paper is pleased to offer a scarce collection of original rotogravure pictorial sections from several major U. S. newspapers. These sections were highly popular in their day, and today they provide us with fascinating "snapshots," so to speak, of historical events, people and places--a virtual treasure trove for the collector of historical memorabilia. These items are extremely fragile and to reduce handling them we have taken a digital image of the first page only, and will provide a brief written description of the interior images. (Please note that the image contrast and resolution is of a higher quality than we were able to capture digitally.) Each item in this collection is protected by an oversized black acid-free 3-ply board and encapsulated in an archival resealable bag. Plus, we use special custom shipping materials to guarantee safe arrival, flat. Due to the large size of these sections, they will be shipped folded along the original crease.
About Rotogravure: Rotogravure is a printing method using a rotary press with intaglio cylinders which allows for very high quality halftone reproductions to be printed at high speed on inexpensive paper stock. Newspapers, beginning with The New York Times, were able to make effective use of this technology, and many published regular rotogravure pictorial sections in their publications during the early 20th century.
CONDITION
This 71+ year old Item is rated Fine. This fragile item has normal wear and tear from use: including small to moderate tears, chips, and creases.
- Product Type: Orig. Rotogravure Section; Sepia
- Grade: Fine
- Dimensions: Approximately 16 x 22 inches; 41 x 56 cm
- Authentication: Serial-Numbered Certificate of Authenticity w/ Full Provenance
- Protection: Packaged in a custom archival sleeve with an acid-free black board (great for display, gift-giving, and preservation)
Steinway Pianos.
German immigrant, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (Henry E. Steinway) founded Steinway and Sons in New York City in 1853. Steinway built his immensely successful company around three basic principles: ÒTo build the best piano possible,Ó ÒBuild a standard, not a price,Ó and ÒMake no compromise in quality.Ó
SteinwayÕs first piano sold in the United States was purchased by a New York family for $500. The piano now resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
In 1857, the company began manufacturing a line of art case pianos, which were designed by famous artists of the time. These pianos proved to be a highly lucrative commodity, and continue to summon extraordinarily high prices in auctions around the world.
In 1903, Steinway & Sons produced its 100,00th grand piano, which was given to the White House as a gift. In 1938, the piano was replaced by the 300,000th grand piano, which still remains in the White House today.
During World War II, the company was supplied with United States Government contracts to supply 3000 special model pianos to the music-deprived soldiers. The most popular World War II piano was the Victory Vertical or G. I. Piano, which could be carried onto military ships or dropped by parachute from airplanes.
In 2000, Steinway & Sons produced its 550,000th piano and decided to further broaden their other two less expensive brands: Essex and Boston. In 2003, the company commemorated its 150th anniversary at Carnegie HallÕs Isaac Stern Auditorium, the famous hallÕs largest venue.
It has been documented that over 90% of concert grand pianos found around the world are from Steinway. According to the company, it estimates that during the North American concert season between the years of 2007 and 2008, 98% of piano soloists chose to play publicly on a Steinway piano, and for the duration of the worldwide concert season between the years of 2002 and 2003, 99% of piano soloists chose to play publicly on a Steinway piano. In particular, Billy Joel and Harry Connick, Jr. are two of many famous artists who chose to play on a Steinway. It is also said that most concert halls around the world attain at least one Model D-274 Steinway concert grand piano.
The company presently retains around 130 patents, a substantially higher amount than any other piano company. Steinway & SonÕs also holds around 12 Royal Warrants, an authorized issue by Royalty, which allows a company to advertise the royal endorsement, thus conveying prestige to the business. Such warrants have been in existence for centuries. One of SteinwayÕs Royal Warrants came from Queen Elizabeth II.
Steinway's great-grandson, Henry Z. Steinway, often graced custom-made limited edition pianos with his signature. Mr. Steinway continued to work at the company until his death in 2008. Steinway was 93 years old.
Advertising:
Copywriter Raymond Rubicam of the Rubicam Advertising Agency often designed extravagant art layouts for Steinway & Sons, as well as other prestigious companies including Cadillac and Rolls-Royce. Later, Rubicam joined the N. W. Ayer & Son Advertising Agency team, which was AmericaÕs largest advertising firm at the time. Shortly, after Rubicam joined the agency, he created an ad for the Steinway company titled, ÒThe Instrument of the Immortals,Ó which landed the ad on Advertising AgeÕs list of the top 100 advertising campaigns. During the 1920s, famous artist Rockwell Kent designed special decorated lithograph and engraving advertisements for Steinway.
Interesting Fact:
In 2009, Steinway installed the worldÕs largest solar-powered rooftop air-conditioning and dehumidifier system in his New York factory to protect the pristine pianos. It is estimated that the system cost around $875,000.
Copyright 2016, Period Paper LLC
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