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THBWhite House Wood: (3) Repurposed Relic Valances
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About Auction
LiveFeb 14, 2024
RR Auction's February Fine Autographs and Artifacts auction boasts 600 unique items, and honors Presidents' Day with a special section featuring incredible presidential autographs, artifacts, and memorabilia. RR Auction support@rrauction.com
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- Lot Description
Three window valances custom-crafted from decorative moldings originating from the White House, with two measuring 49″ x 5″ x 6.5" (one separated into two pieces) and one 43.75″ x 4.75″ x 6.5″, repainted white over the original layers of White House paint, some of which are visible on the rear of the separated piece. The White House wood features a repeating swirl pattern, and are supported in the rear by standard (non-relic) 1 x 1 pine frames. These valances were created from 'contractor's salvage' kept by Knipp & Co. following their 1949-1952 renovation of the White House, and installed in a private home on Gibson Island, Maryland. Accompanied by a letter of authenticity from historian and collector Wayne Smith, author of White House Renovation Souvenirs. Also includes a signed hardcover copy of the book.
The Baltimore-based architectural woodworking firm Knipp & Co. was chosen as a subcontractor for President Harry S. Truman's renovation and restoration of the White House, which took place between 1948 and 1952. Their work is discussed in the article 'White House 'Contractor's Salvage' Revived' by Barbara D. McMillan: "Knipp & Company was very much on the scene during the dismantling of the house. It hauled away moldings, architectural elements, wood floors, and even lath under the plaster for the general contractor, who began work on December 13, 1949...It was President Truman’s stated intention to save 'all the doors, mantels, mirrors and things of that sort so that they will go back just as they were.' Architect Lorenzo S. Winslow also 'appreciated the old, and from the outset urged the careful conservation and reuse of paneling, window sash, molding and doors.' These intentions, however, were not fully realized. Some of the wood was damaged upon removal, and some was stylistically inappropriate as Winslow tried to adapt the White House interior to the time of its original architect, James Hoban...Franklin Knipp, who became president of the firm in 1964, stressed that most of the removed millwork from the White House arrived to them unmarked, with nothing to indicate where it had come from, unless it was from a 'primary' room (a State Room) or one that was to be reconstructed, such as the State Dining Room."
As the White House renovations came to a close, the Commission on the Renovation of the Executive Mansion, with the approval of President Truman, established a 'souvenir program' to dispose of excess raw materials removed from the Executive Mansion, such as bricks, nails, plaster, and wooden relics. McMillan reports: "White House moldings that were not reused in the White House reconstruction but left stored with the Knipp firm were originally intended by the firm to be returned to the White House, until at last Major General Glen E. Edgerton, the government’s representative on the work, ordered Knipp to stop bringing back the old wood." This 'contractor's salvage' subsequently remained in Franklin Knipp's custody for decades; he subsequently offered them as gifts to friends and neighbors, and repurposed items for use in his own home on Maryland's Gibson Island. - Shipping Info
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