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Militaria and Political Auction
Lot 1348:
China
TLS 8.5" x 11′ 1p. October 20, 1924
San Francisco, California File Foreign
Visually stunning early twentieth century letter, highlighted by a gorgeous colored print of an oriental rug, dated during the Second Zhili-Fengtian War in China, where "our Mr. Meyer" purchased "a beautiful selection of BROCADED and SCULPTURED rugs" Description:
Typed Letter Signed, "Victorien M Meyer, " 1 page, 8.5" × 11». San Francisco, California, October 20, 1924. Slight tears on the edges. Fine Condition.
The second paragraph of the letter explicitly refers to the Second Zhili-Fengtian War: "
… We wish to call your attention to the fact that
exchange is falling very rapidly and that we can make no promises as to what prices will be in the future. At present we have arranged to have regular shipments but as the War progresses, shipments might become intermittent.
The Second Zhili-Fengtian War (September-November, 1924) was the most significant of the Chinese Warlord Era, a period in Chinese history when the country was divided among several military cliques from 1916 to 1928. The war was fought between the Anglo-American backed Zhili clique that controlled Beijing and the Fengtian clique from Manchuria with pro-Japanese sympathies. After the only major battle of the war, fought in the same month as this letter was published, the Fengtian clique seized Beijing and defeated the Zhili. However, possibly the most significant ramification of the conflict was that it distracted the northern warlords from the progress of Chiang Kai-Shek, who united China in 1928.
Victorien M. Meyer was a young socialite from a wealthy New York Polish-Jewish family, who dropped out of Princeton to enter his father’s business – importing ladies’ underwear made in the Philippines. However; he soon went off on his own, moving to San Francisco where he could pursue his business interest as a dealer in fine oriental rugs.
The letter, in full, reads: "Conventional Designs / in Stero Rugs / Service – Quality – Patterns / Gentlemen: Our Mr. Meyer has recently returned from China with a beautiful selection of BROCADED and SCULPTURED rugs. We have on hand not only the regular sizes but several large sized rugs which will be well worth your attention. (Some special Sizes are 9×13 – 10×14 – 10×15). While we have advanced our prices of Chinese rugs very little we wish to call your attention to the fact that exchange is falling very rapidly and that we can make no promises as to what prices will be in the future. At present we have arranged to have regular shipments but as the War progresses, shipments might become intermittent. We would like to have you see what we have on hand to offer for the HOLIDAY SEASON and would advise your early selection. Most Cordially, Victorien M. Meyer"
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