TLS: "R.J. Gatling", 1p, 8½x11½. Hartford, Conn., 1885 April 14. As President, on stationery of The Gatling Gun Company. To Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company, Hartford. In full: "The Chief of Ordnance, State of New York, advises us that he has sent two Gatling Guns here for repairs, and that if anything is needed in the way of appendages or spare parts, that he be furnished with a list of the same, before he gives the order for them. As soon as the guns are received, please put them in good working order, and furnish us with a list of the articles required as above." Exactly 20 years before this letter was written, John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln with a Derringer pistol. Twelve days later, U.S. Cavalry Sgt. Boston Corbett shot Booth with a Colt revolver. By the 1850s, Richard J. Gatling (1818-1903) had become wealthy from agricultural inventions such as machines for sowing rice and wheat. He is best known for inventing the rapid-fire Gatling gun, the first practical machine gun, patented in 1862, the year The Gatling Gun Company was founded in Indianapolis.

The businessman signed this letter that's beautifully framed with an image of him! Typed Letter Signed: "F. O. Stanley" on an 8½x11 sheet of paper (8¼x10 visible). One page. Dated October 9, 1911. Message in Part: "I am enclosing checks amounting to $3000. In reference to lease of the State land you mention, I have no objection to having it transferred to you, provided it is agreeable to Mr. Young, and I am writing him in reference to the same". Freelan O. Stanley (1849-1940) and his brother Francis E. Stanley became businessmen who developed the Stanley Motor Carriage Company, eventually building the Stanley Steamer. Their steam-powered automobiles grew extremely popular, although it was eventually superseded by the Model T. Steam engine vehicles gradually became obsolete technologically. After Stanley was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of tuberculosis in 1903, Stanley resolved to get some fresh air. Until his death in 1940, Stanley for the most part resided in Estes Park, Colorado. Through his investment in the fledgling town, Estes Park grew significantly.

The Nobel Peace Prize winning physicist apologizes for a missed appointment due to having been in his lab. Rare ALS: "P. Curie", 1½p, 5¾x4¼, front and verso. Faculté des Sciences de Paris, Cours de Physique, Paris, 1904 May 29. To an unnamed woman. Written from the Curie home at 108 Boulevard Kellerman. In French, translated. In full: "We sincerely regret Mme Curie and I having missed your appointment yesterday, which you granted us. I was in the laboratory yesterday at 5:30 in the evening. I found your letter but it was already too late and Mme Curie does not go to the laboratory at this time. Please excuse us and accept our sincerest best wishes." Five months earlier, Pierre and Marie Curie shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with Antoine Henri Becquerel for discovering radioactivity and studying uranium. The Curies continued their work on radioactivity, but Marie did not go to the laboratory as often as before. She was then three months pregnant and radioactive material was not something of which to be in contact. The Nobel Prize brought the Curies overwhelming public popularity, to their dislike. The volume of visitors made it impossible for them to work with the reclusiveness they so much enjoyed.

The artist and inventor signs this letter recommending that Congress purchase letters of General Henry Knox owned by a lady and wishing the courts would effectively put an end to the pirating of his telegraph invention. ALS: "Saml. F.B. Morse", 2p, 7¾x10. Po'keepsie, N.Y., 1849 July 23. To C.S. Daveis, Esq., Portland, Me. Daveis (1788-1865) was a prominent Maine attorney. In full: "Yours of the 17th inst I received on Saturday evening & this morning I called on Mrs Beekman and read her your letter. She feels that she has (as she undoubtedly has) a valuable deposit of papers, which ought to belong to the State or the United States Government. She is well disposed towards accommodating you with the sight and use of the letters of Gen. Knox. She says that the papers are contained in several boxes, and the search will be attended with some labor but that she will select out those of Gen. Knox and lay them by themselves. That she should be desirous of reaping pecuniary benefit from papers possessing so much value to the state, is both natural and proper, and she felt gratefully that part of your letter which promised her you did. Why cannot something be done at the next session of Congress for their purpose? Should you be in Washington, please think of it.…"

The inventor of what is commonly known as rubber signed this check dated just weeks before his death Check Signed: "Chas. Goodyear" on a 2¼x6¼ check. Drawn from the Bank of the Metropolis in Washington D.C. for $200.00. Entire check visible. Included in the frame is a plaque and a black and white image of Goodyear, 6x8 visible. Total size 23¼x18. Charles Goodyear (1800-1860) received patent number 3633 from the U.S. Patent Office in 1844 for vulcanized rubber, a material that is waterproof, yet flexible. For this innovation, Goodyear was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1976. Each of us uses rubber in hundreds of ways every day. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was named after him nearly 40 years after his death. Fine condition. Framed to an overall size of 23¼x18.

. The airship pioneer writes a letter regarding the receipt for cigar-cases benefiting the Red Cross. Third Person ALS: "Graf Zeppelin" in German, 1p, 5½ x 8½. Friedrichshafen, 1917 January 22. Fully translated: "Graf Zeppelin recommends to the Zeppelin Airship Construction Company to give the attorney at law, Mr. Schwab, the opportunity to receive orders for his timely cigar-cases benefiting the Red Cross." Ferdinand, Count von Zeppelin (1838-1917) entered the Prussian Army in 1858 and served in the Seven Weeks War and in the Franco-Prussian War. He was an observer with the Union army during the American Civil War. In 1891, he retired from the Prussian Army to devote himself to the building of motor-driven airships. Zeppelin invented the first rigid airship in 1900 and in 1906, built one that had a speed of 30 miles per hour. In 1908, he established at Friedrichshafen the Zeppelin Foundation for the development of aerial navigation and the manufacture of airships. Zeppelin died on March 8, 1917, seven weeks after writing this letter. Fine condition. Framed to an overall size of 33½ x 21.

The chemist penned and signed this note asking Mr. Potterin to speak to him later Autograph Note signed: "L.P.", in black ink. One page. 2¾x1¼. To "Mr. Potterin - Eugene". In French, translated in full: "Speak to me about him after/the arrival of Mr. Lapetair, the injector, etc." Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) was a chemist and biologist who is considered one of a handful of the most important pioneers of microbiology. His body of work directly led to the development of vaccinations to protect humans from deadly diseases, the invalidation of the spontaneous generation theory of life, and the invention of pasteurization. Pasteurization is the process of heating dairy products to eliminate microbial organisms that can spread disease. Germ theory was already rapidly growing support, but Pasteur conducted controlled experiments from 1860-1864 that investigated germs, disease, and potential causality. These experiments put to rest any further serious opposition to the theory. While Pasteur's influence on microbiology and chemistry stretch far into the sciences, his notoriety today is primarily due to the namesake process of pasteurization used on virtually all dairy products sold in stores.

The framed race car engineer signs a biographical page from a pamphlet. Pamphlet signed: "Ferrari", 8 x 11¼. Enzo Ferrari (1898-1988), whose name is synonymous with quality engineering, began his racing career in 1919 and soon became a test driver for Alfa Romeo. About 1939, Ferrari organized his own factory but was prevented from producing his own automobiles for four years because of a contract with Romeo, which feared competing against the famed Ferrari name. During WWII, Ferrari's factory was converted to produce ball bearings and other equipment. In 1947, however, Ferrari's first car with the prancing horse insignia debuted. A lifetime racing enthusiast, Ferrari produced few automobiles for private consumer sales until the 1953 debut of the 250 Europa, the first of the long line of Ferrari street cars that to this day remain highly valued as collectibles. Ferraris excelled on international racing circuits and garnered ten wins in the Formula One Constructors' Championship from 1956 to 1983 - more than any other make. Surface creases, otherwise fine condition. Framed to an overall size of 15 x 25¾. 8 photocopied pages of the pamphlet included on back of frame.

Typed DS: "Thos A Edison" as Director, 1¼p, front and verso, 8x11. West Orange, N.J., 1925 June 11. Countersigned: "Charles Edison" as Chairman, "Fred W. Roh" as Assistant Secretary (initialed "HE" by Howard Eckert, Secretary) and "H.F. Miller", "J.V. Miller" and "Henry Lanahan" as Directors. "Minutes of a Meeting of the Board of Directors of/the Edison Storage Battery Company". Two resolutions were passed, one concerning the leasing of a portion of the second floor at 702 Beacon Street, Boston for three years at $170 per month, the other relating to tax audits and Internal Revenue Laws. The Edison Storage Battery Company was organized in New Jersey on May 27, 1901 to develop, manufacture and sell Edison's alkaline storage batteries. It produced batteries for mining lamps, train lighting and signaling, submarines, electric vehicles and other uses. The company had its own research department and sales force, but it also sold batteries through separate sales companies, including the Edison Storage Battery Supply Company and Miller Reese Hutchison, Inc. Thomas A. Edison, Inc. was incorporated on January 27, 1896 as the National Phonograph Company, then reorganized and newly incorporated as Thomas A. Edison, Inc.

The professional racecar driver who co-founded Chevrolet signed this beautifully framed typed letter. Typed Letter Signed: "Louis Chevrolet" in black ink. 8x10 ½ visible of an 8½x11 sheet. One page. Framed with two descriptive plaques and an image of Chevrolet. Dated October 9, 1931. Letterhead from the Glenn L. Martin Motors Company. Letter in part: "I suppose you are wondering what is becoming of us, and our reduction gears drive motor…This summer we made two different reduction gears, which we tried, but they didn't prove successful, as we couldn't mount them securely enough on the nose of our present crankcase. This forced us to redesign the reduction gear for incorporation on a special crankcase, layout of which is now being completed. If nothing unforeseen happens I expect to have a motor with a new reduction gear running before long". Louis Chevrolet (1878-1941) was born in Switzerland, but moved to France as a boy and then Canada and the United States as a young man. He co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company on November 3, 1911, in Detroit, Michigan. After leaving Chevy in 1916, he co-founded a company named Frontenac Motor Corporation with his two brothers.

. ALS: "C Babbage", 1p, 3½x4. 1 Dorset St (Manchester, England), June 11 (no year). Begins: "My dear Madam". In full: "It will give me great pleasure to see Miss Manwaring at my party to night. I am glad on awakening this morning to find the clouds promise a fine day for the Horticultural Exhibitions. Shall we meet there." Charles Babbage (1791-1871) is known as the "Father of Computing" for his ideas about building an "analytical engine", the predecessor of the digital computer. He proposed operations research that involved the idea of using machines to perform routine mathematical operations, eliminating errors in human calculation. Although he never built his computer, his ideas influenced those who later carried out his ideas. Lightly creased, soiled and stained. Upper right corner missing. Top right corner of frame is splintered.  Framed to an overall size of 28x18.

Typed Letter Signed: "Bertrand Russell". 1p, 7½x9. Penrhyndeudraeth (Wales, United Kingdom), 1963 April 27. To Jack Benjamin, Brooklyn, New York. In full: "Thank you for all your recent newspaper cuttings, which are of great value to me in my work. If I have failed for some time to acknowledge your great assistance I assure you it is not for want of gratitude, but merely through pressure of events. As you know, I have recently written several articles for American publications, and I am most interested to see repercussions to these in editorial and letters columns. With warm good wishes, Yours Sincerely," Bertrand Russell signed this letter of April 27, 1963 thanking one of his many supporters for clippings sent to him of recent articles Russell had published in the New York Times and the fierce reaction they generated. Russell had written these articles denouncing the hard-line, anti-communist stance of the United States government and its role in the Vietnam War. His articles, specifically "Is Communism a Menace?" (April 7), received hostile public response from most quarters; however, they did help to inspire the burgeoning American peace movement.