The Montague Collection
“People say that blacks were ignored in history, but this collection shows that they did write,
that they were written about, and that they were drawn, and shown as part of
American culture. This isn’t a political statement. This is history.”
Nathaniel “Magnificent” Montague, Los Angeles Times, October 12, 1988
The Trustee is pleased to announce that Mr. Clinton F. Byrd of Tallahassee, FL has been approved by the court as buyer of the Montague Collection. Congratulations, Mr. Byrd!
United Asset Management Services welcomes you to the Montague Collection of
African American art and artifacts. Covering Black History from the slave years
to the height of the Civil Rights Movement, the Collection is a testament to the
determination and passion of famed former R&B DJ Nathaniel Montague and his wife
and researcher Rose Casalan. It comprises more than fifty years of purchases
from garage and estate sales; antique and book shops; and private collectors and
auction houses, in both the US and Europe.
The Collection features a marvelously diverse and balanced array of over 8,000
items. Nathaniel and Rose felt strongly about not excluding anything of
relevance, regardless of the sensitivities involved. History cannot be censored
and retain its truth. Some items in the Collection may shock and anger the
viewer, but they all serve to illuminate the reality of the African American
experience.
Sample items from the Collection include the following: a 1773 signed first
edition of slave-poet Phillis Wheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, Religious
and Moral, the first book published by an African American; original slave bills
of sale; Professor George Washington Carver’s lovely 1932 chalk drawing,
“Dahlias,” done with chalk that Carver made himself from peanuts; the
spectacular oil painting, “Before the Masked Ball,” circa 1865, a work that is
one of only three known extant by Jean-Pierre Vallet, a student of Ingres; a
letter by Toussaint L’Ouverture, the “Black Napoleon” of Haiti; a letter by
Booker T. Washington, head of Tuskegee Institute; a deed signed by renowned
escaped-slave-turned-abolitionist Frederick Douglass when he was the Recorder of
Deeds in Washington, D.C.; posters from Lincoln Motion Picture Company’s “All
Colored Cast” films; autographed recordings by great anti-segregation symbol,
contralto Marian Anderson; film reels of The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and
Malcolm X; rare currency; and a rare copy of sheet music for “Listen to the
Mocking Bird.”
The Montague Collection is one of the finest of its kind in the world and is now
available for sale. Qualified parties are invited to register through our
interest form and will receive a password enabling them to examine our extensive
Montague Collection Inventory. The top priority of United AMS is to preserve the
integrity of the Collection and sell it intact, rather than to dismantle an
important historical treasure. We encourage visitors to this site to consider
our exceptional acquisition opportunity.
The information provided herein is made available for convenience purposes only and provided "AS IS." The Trustee and/or any and all representatives and agents are not and shall not be responsible for the information provided (including, without limitation, any errors that may be present) and expressly disclaim any and all warranties, conditions and representations, whether or not implied, oral or written, with respect to the information or any transactions arising therefrom, including, without limitation, any and all implied warranties or conditions of title, non-infringement, merchantability, fitness or suitability for any purpose.