14th Jul, 2021 10:00

Specialist Collectors' Sale

 
Lot 1249
 

An important collection of letters - Miss Florence Nightingale and Miss Leslie Gardiner and others

An important collection of letters between Miss Florence Nightingale (1820 - 1910) and Miss Leslie Gardiner (? - 1887), fellow nurse, peer and colleague of Nightingale. Correspondence spans the years 1875 - 1880 to include personal and professional communications. The earliest letter dated May 5 '75, addressed to Miss Hill, relating to Leslie Gardiner whom she says of....'...I am sorry and glad that Miss Gardiner has left the Canterbury Hospital: sorry because Highgate will miss her much: glad because she will carry the same devotion to a larger sphere of usefulness...', further letters relate to the 'Nightingale' nurses and the provision of nurses '...I am always glad to hear from you and your work... I assure you we wish to help you with another nurse, if we can...we do not like to give a probationer just out of training, but rather one who has been tested a little.', also personal matters including letter dated August 10th 1877 in which Florence Nightingale recounts her mother's failing health, 'The reason I have been unable to write is this: your note reached me here. I had been summoned down here to take charge of my Mother, a widow and infirm. A few hours after my arrival, a case of infectious disease, not contracted here, declared itself in a new corner, which in spite of Nursing and Medical care, proved fatal. I could summon no one to help me and I am scarcely able to write even this...God help us. God speed our work for we need his love.' Another letter dated March 28th 1880, written on black lined mourning paper, deals with her reaction to her mother's passing and the stress of this '...The Dr's tell me that I must be 'free' for at least a year 'from the responsibilities which have been forced upon me...'. Also included in the collection; letters which allude to Florence Nightingale's views of traditional nursing methods include one dated March 15th, 1878...'...I have sent, sorely against the grain, her choice of a 'Midwifery' book, fit only for medical students and to make nurses into (word unclear) ignorant', Would you think to tell her my personal experience of this result. Where it does not lead to manslaughter, in the two dying in training schools of which we spoke about together'. The total collection to include 1 letter to Miss Hill from Nightingale about Miss Gardiner, 15 letters and 1 telegram from Nightingale to Gardiner, 1 letter from Mrs Mardsopert to Gardiner (asking her advice about acquiring a Nightingale portrait), 1 letter from Miss Gardiner to Nightingale. 19 letters in total.

Provenance: The Gardiner Family thence by direct family decent.

Sold for £5,200


 

In Person

To bid in person at auction for the first time please register for a bidding number in advance by filling out and submitting a registration form at reception. When registering in person we require photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence.

 

Live Internet Bidding

We are pleased to offer a live online bidding service through our website platform Reeman Dansie Global.*

Reeman Dansie Global offers an excellent auction experience on your desktop, phone or tablet without being in the room. The platform is complete with live audio and video feeds to enable you to watch and hear the auction as it happens wherever you are in the world.  Additionally you are able to see opposing bids in real time and view the upcoming lots.

A Bid Live button will appear on our home page when the sale is live. Simply click this to sign in & begin. 

New users will need an online account with us to participate in live auctions via Reeman Dansie Global. Once you have created your account and registered card details, you will be approved to bid for the auction. 

*Please note that if you bid through our website you will be charged an additional 3% (plus VAT) commission on the hammer price. 

Alternatively you can bid via www.the-saleroom.com To bid online, simply register with the-saleroom.com and visit the site on the day of the sale. Please note that if you bid through the-saleroom.com, you will be charged an additional 4.95% (plus VAT) commission on the hammer price.

Create an account

 

Absentee Bidding

For clients unable or not wishing to attend our sale we are happy to accept absentee bids. Absentee bids can either be left in person with our office team, phoned or emailed to us. We simply require lot numbers and descriptions and the maximum bid which you wish to leave. Absentee bids are then transferred to our auction pages and the auctioneer will bid on your behalf. If the lot can be purchased at a lower price than your maximum bid our auctioneers will always endeavour to work in your interest to purchase the lot for you as cheaply as other bids will allow. If the same bid is left by two people on a lot we will precedence to the bidder who leaves the bid first. 

We are happy to provide condition reports for online and absentee bidders and to supply additional photographs on any lot. We ask that condition report requests are submitted at least 24 hours prior to the sale. (Whilst every care is taken to give an accurate condition report, we accept no responsibility for any omissions or errors in our reports. It is the buyer’s responsibility to view the lots and satisfy themselves as to their condition.)

 

Telephone Bidding

We are happy to accept phone bids for our Fine Art and Collectors’ sales. Phone bids may be arranged in person with our office team, by phone or by email. We simply require the lot number and details of the lots which you wish to bid on and contact phone number / numbers. Our phone bidders will call in advance of your chosen lot / lots and bid on your behalf during the sale.
Telephone bids must be booked by 4pm the day before the sale but can be arranged earlier, we have limited lines and certain lots can be over-subscribed for phone bidding, in such instances we conduct a first come, first served basis and we encourage clients to book well in advance or risk being disappointed.

Auction: Specialist Collectors' Sale, 14th Jul, 2021

Three day Collectors' sale to incorporate Coins, Weapons and Militaria.  N.B DAY ONE WILL BE STARTING AT 9AM

Day One - Lots 1 - 999 (Jewellery, Coins & Militaria) 

Day Two - Lots 1000 - 1849  (Ceramics & Glass; Ephemera & Stamps; Books & Toys)

Day Three - Lots 1850 - 2499 (Cars & Automobilia; Vintage & Designer Clothing; Music, Cameras & Miscellaneous)

Payments & Collections: For payments & collections by appointment only, please call the office to arrange a collection slot on 01206 754754. 

We can provide an in-house postage and packing service for small non fragile items only but due to current demand, dispatch may take up to two weeks.   

All larger and fragile items will need to be collected by an independent shipping company or can be collected strictly by appointment with our staff. 

 

Viewing

Presale viewing strictly by appointment will be:

Friday 9th July 1pm until 5pm

Saturday 10th July 9am until 1pm

Monday 12th July  9am until 5pm

PLEASE NOTE: There will be no viewing available on the day or bidding in person, so please do not expect admittance to the saleroom

View all lots in this sale

Full Terms & Conditions relating to our auctions can be found here

Here at Reeman Dansie, we are happy to offer a complimentary online valuation service. Please fill out the form and press the 'Submit' button below.

To help us with your valuation please attach clear photographs of the item where possible. You can submit up to 5.

Approximate dimensions are also useful. Expect to hear from the appropriate valuer as soon as possible.

Images

Drag and drop .jpg images here to upload, or click here to select images.