Local numismatic scholar Eric Newman's discovery of an Audubon etching has set the scholarly world afire MONEY MATTERS: Numismatic historian and scholar, Eric Newman, has co-discovered an etching by John James Audubon that has rocked the world of Audubon scholars and that is being heralded as "a eureka moment."
The discovery in and of itself is intriguing - but what makes it more so is Newman's age - he's 99.
Newman is a St. Louisan whose many publications include a book on Early American paper money that is considered the standard in the field. He also has one of the finest private collections of U.S., and Colonial American coins and paper money and his gift to Washington University established the Newman Money Museum.
Newman's discovery of the Audubon etching, which appears to be the first ever drawn by the artist for a piece of New Jersey paper money in 1824, was made in conjunction with Robert Peck, curator of art and artifacts at the Academy of Natural Sciences. The two spent about a decade hunting for the etching, which was first mentioned by Audubon in a diary entry in 1824.
The academy announced the finding on Thursday. An article about the discovery by Peck and Newman will be published in the fall journal of the Society of Historians of the Early American Republic, based at the Library Company of Philadelphia.
Scholars were delighted with the finding. Nancy Powell, curator of collections and exhibitions at the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove in Pennsylvania, was quoted today in an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer trumpeting the discovery.
"It's been one of the holy grails for Audubon researchers, to find out if that exists," she said. "It lets us know a little more about him and his art and how he developed it."
Newman and his wife, Evelyn Newman, 90, are at their summer home in Martha's Vineyard so their son Andy Newman, of St. Louis, answered a few questions on his father's behalf.
"He's not doing anything to celebrate," Andy said. "Solving numismatic mysteries is my dad's passion. He tells me he has more in the pipeline."
Andy said his father recently finished work on the fifth edition of his book about Early American paper money. While Andy was putting away some of the material he said his father stopped him and said, " 'Don't put that away. I'm working on the sixth edition.' "
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Posted 08/06/2010 11:09 am
