HYLAND
of the world's preeminent authenticators of handwritten
artifacts, and his "old curiosity shop" is enticingly crammed
with framed and very rare signed missives.
One $150,000 letter signed by Thomas Jefferson details
his arranging the purchase of seven slaves. An almost
indecipherable, autographed
postcard (dated 1942)
comes with a Casablanca
photo of Humphrey Bogart
sitting with Peter Lorre next
to a chess board, and details
his latest move to a fellow
enthusiast. Then there's
a heart-tugging, $50,000
piece of Americana—Civil
War general Jeb Stuart
expressing his sorrow to a
cousin who lost his son on a
battlefield.
Another time capsule awaits visitors at Bemelman's Bar,
tucked discreetly inside the Carlyle. Take a quick look at
the 1930's murals painted by Bemelman, the author of the
Madeline children's series books, and after conjuring up
visions of John F. Kennedy's well-documented retreating
to the bar, head to where permanent residence in this
rarified neighborhood becomes a reality. Or a continuing
fantasy.
That's the power of the Douglas Elliman real estate agency.
Gaze at the front window listings, the photographs of a
Kenneth Rendell
