(Westport, Connecticut).
Price: $3,500.00
A small archive consisting of Edward Vebell’s annotated manuscript on fencing and well over 200 accompanying photographs, including the negatives, of Vebell, his wife Elsa and others demonstrating the various techniques of foil, epee, and sabre fencing. The illustrated manuscript was published in 1962 as the *Sports Illustrated Book of Fencing*.
A renowned illustrator and Olympic fencer, Vebell was the leading artist for *Stars and Stripes* during World War II, and courtroom artist at the Nuremberg War Trials. He continued to serve in Europe and North Africa until 1947: in Paris he photographed performers at the famed cabaret music hall “Folies Bergère,” and he rode with the French cavalry in Algeria.
Back in the States he settled in Connecticut and went on to illustrate for *Time* and *Life* magazines, as well as for the U.S. Postal Service, and was one of Reader’s Digest’s most popular illustrators. He represented the United States in fencing in the individual (semi-finalist) and team events at the 1952 Olympics, and was elected to the U.S. Fencing Hall of Fame in 2014.
The manuscript consists of approximately 150 mostly handwritten (in ink) and typed sheets, annotated throughout and with numerous inserted paragraphs and notes taped-in or laid-in. Also included are pen & ink sketches interspersed throughout. Many of the inserted paper slips have dry clear tape stains at the edges and are detached, very good overall. The manuscript is divided into three or four principal sections: 1. “Sabre: Introduction, The Grip, Attacks,” etc.; 2. “An Introduction to Basic Foil Fencing”; 3. “Epee”; 4. “Modern Sabre Fencing”.
Accompanying the manuscript are over 200 gelatin silver prints of various sheet sizes: most ranging from about 4” x 8” to 8” x 10” and including several odd sizes in between and smaller. Included are about 25 contact sheets of both 2 ¼” x 2 ¼” and 35mm formats. Several prints have been trimmed and have layout marks and captions. A few sheets are torn, else very good overall with some scattered creases and short tears at the edges and corners. Many (if not all?) of the original negatives are included in three envelopes: 1. “FOIL – being posed by Elsa, & Fencing – myself”; 2. “Fencing Negs”; 3. “How To Fencing, Negs: EPEE”.
A scarce working manuscript and cache of photographs by this great American illustrator and sportsman.
Item #443637
