Bohemian Club & Bohemian Grove Posters, Books & Ephemera Come To Turner Auctions + Appraisals On August 10

Prominent Artists of the Printed Material Include Ray Sullivan, Phil Frank, George Lichty, Wayne Pope, Amado Gonzales, Antonio Sotomayor, Vincent Perez & Lonnie Bee

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA, July 12, 2024 – Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Bohemian Club Books & Ephemera on August 10, 2024. The sale features over 200 lots of books, booklets, posters, flyers, programs, playbills, invitations, wine lists and menus, and reports from the private men’s club based in San Francisco and Northern California. These offerings from a California collector range from 1909 to the 2000s. Several related lots from other collections round out the sale.

The offerings in this auction reflect a vast range of events held at the Bohemian Club in San Francisco or the Bohemian Grove in Monte Rio, California, where the Midsummer Encampment, an annual 18-day members’ retreat, is held each July. The sale features Bohemian Grove posters from 1956-2005 and Cremation of Care posters from the 1970s. Besides plays from 1913 and 1919, there are playbills for the Grove plays; and programs for diverse events – art exhibitions, ladies’ nights, “low jinks” evenings, tribute dinners, aviary and more. The extensive selection of events flyers or invitations includes those for film, music, comedy, opera, theater, jazz, anthropology, holidays and Oktoberfest, authors, sons & grandsons, golf, baseball, skeet, Vienna, Italia, veterans, and much more. Most of these ephemera date from the 1950s-early 1980s. Some menus and wine lists are also available. Besides printed material promoting the club’s numerous events, there are also official documents from various years, most from 1908-1940, including the President’s and Treasurer’s Reports, and the club’s constitution, by-laws, rules, and annals.

For over 30 years, the California owner has assembled an extensive collection of Bohemian Club and Bohemian Grove items, keeping them in a well-preserved condition. Commenting on his collection, he says he enjoys and appreciates these “highly unique and rare items from the most exclusive men’s club in the world.” 

Founded in 1872, the Bohemian Club was created “for the association of gentlemen connected professionally with Literature, Art, Music, Drama and also those who, by reason of their love or appreciation of these objects and their interest in participating in Club activities, may be deemed eligible…The Club is social in nature and purpose with its focus on the fine and performing arts and literature.” Early on, science was added to the “four pillars” of literature, art, music, and drama. Proud to be a refuge for artistic and intellectual activities, conducting business is prohibited. In fact, the club’s motto is “Weaving spiders, come not here.”

While members’ names are not made public, many notable men are known to be or have been Bohemian Club members – politicians such as Herbert Hoover, Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush and son, George P. Schultz, and Newt Gingrich; artists or writers such as Maynard Dixon, Granville Redmond, Xavier Martinez, and Herman Wouk; business tycoons such as William Randolph Hearst and David Packard; and other famous men including Eddie Rickenbacker and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Today the club has about 2,600 members at a time, with some waiting up to 15 years to become regular, full members. In addition, there are honorary or professional members, usually in the arts, who assist with the club’s various activities. Since its inception, there have only been four women in the club – honorary members chosen in the club’s first two decades – although women and other guests are included at many of the club’s events.

Turner Auctions + Appraisals begins its online auction on Saturday, August 10, 2024, at 10:30 am PDT; sale items are available for preview and bidding now. The online auction will be featured live on multiple platforms:  LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, Bidsquare, and Turner Auctions + Appraisals’ free mobile app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Apps (“Turner Auctions”). All are easily accessed through ‘Upcoming Auctions’ at the company’s website:  www.turnerauctionsonline.com/upcoming-auctions.

Here below are some highlights of the upcoming online sale (please see auction information and lot details in the online catalog). 

LOT 2:  THREE MUSIC OF BOHEMIA PROGRAMS, 1909-1911. 1.) MUSIC OF BOHEMIA. Under the Direction of Paul Steindorff, Van Ness Theater. San Francisco: The Bohemian Club, printed by H. S. Crocker Co., 1909. 8vo, 23-page booklet. Pictorial printed wraps. Condition: Good; very slight vertical bend; light toning, faint spotting title page, penciled price. 2.) MIDSUMMER MUSIC OF BOHEMIA. Annual Concert of the Bohemian Club Under the Direction of Herman Perlet, Van Ness Theater. San Francisco: The Bohemian Club, printed by the Stanley-Taylor Co., 1910. 8vo, 20-page booklet. Pictorial paper wraps. Condition: Good; some edge tears/chipping, and scattered dampstaining/soiling to wraps; slight center crease to booklet. 3.) MUSIC OF BOHEMIA, Given at the Central Theater, San Francisco… Musical Director, Wallace A. Sabin. San Francisco: The Bohemian Club, 1911. 8vo, 62-page booklet. Pictorial paper wraps. Tipped-in frontispiece photograph. Condition: Good; small edge creases/ tears and slight diagonal crease to wraps; light soiling, pencil marks; ex-libris stamps. Estimate $800-$1,200. 

LOT 9: “THE BILLIONAIRE,” 1956 BOHEMIAN GROVE POSTER. Artist: Lonie Bee (Lorenzo Potter Bee, 1902-1995). Bohemian Grove, The Billionaire, 1956 Low Jinks Poster, two-sided. 22 1/8″ x 17 15/16″. Condition: fold creases, toning. Estimate $300-$500. 

LOT 82:  BOHEMIAN CLUB, PRESIDENT AND TREASURER REPORT (10), 1968-1981. BOHEMIAN CLUB. A collection of ten volumes of the Report of the President and Treasurer (rarely available): 1968-1969; 1970-1971; 1971-1972; 1972-1973; 1973-1974; 1974-1975; 1975-1976; 1976-1977; 1978-1979; and 1980-1981. 8vo stapled booklets, running 29-33 pages; covers printed with owl device/motto. Each contains recaps for the period, including committees, events, financial summaries/statements, bequests, and In Memoriam member list. Condition: the collection is overall good; some staining/soiling to covers; one with hole punches, and strip cut from back cover. Estimate $800-$1,200. 

LOT 10: “SHOOT THE WORKS”, 1957 BOHEMIAN GROVE POSTER. Artist: Paul T. Carey (1904-2001). Bohemian Grove, “Shoot the Works”, 1957 Low Jinks Poster, two-sided. 22″ x 17 1/2″. Condition: fold creases. Estimate $300-$500. 

LOT 3:  BOHEMIAN CLUB MIDSUMMER JINKS PROGRAMS (2), 1910. 1.) FIELD, CHARLES K. The Cave Man, A Play of the Redwoods. Thirty-third Midsummer High Jinks of the Bohemian Club. Music by W. J. McCoy. San Francisco: The Bohemian Club, 1910. 8vo, 23-page booklet. Printed paper wraps. Condition: Very Good; light toning; slight surface tear to cover (does not extend through); pencil notation. 2.) PATIGIAN, HAIG. Midsummer Low Jinks, 1910, 8vo, single-sheet/folded program. Owl illustration by Randall W. Borough. Condition: Good; slight vertical crease; pencil notations. Estimate $500-$700. 

LOT 4:  BOHEMIAN CLUB BOOKLETS/EPHEMERA (5), 1910S-1980S. 1.) BOHEMIAN CLUB. Introduction to the Bohemian Club, Reprinted from the Club Book of By-laws. San Francisco: 1965. 16mo, 32-page booklet, printed paper wraps. Condition: Very Good; a few scattered spots of light soiling. 2.) BROWNE, PAUL. Grove Traditions, From Reflections on The Grove Experience As Recited Through the Years by Paul “Pearly” Browne. San Francisco: The Bohemian Club, printed by Peter Koch, 1989. 8vo. Pictorial letter press paper wraps illustrated by Kendall C. Rossi. Condition: Very Good. 3.) FIELD, PALMER. The Cremation of Care, A History Exhumed and dusted off by Palmer Field (2 copies). San Francisco: The Bohemian Club, 1953. 12-page booklets, printed paper wraps. One copy printed “Upon the occasion of the 74th consecutive performance, July 18th, 1953.” Condition: both Very Good. 4.) MORSE, CARLTON E. Grove Play: The American Scene. Music by Paul Carson. San Francisco: 1942. 8vo, 10-page booklet, paper wraps. Frontispiece illustration by Ray Sullivan. Condition: Good; slight vertical crease in booklet. 5.) REDDING, JOSEPH. Ceremony of the Cremation of Care, Subject Semper Virens. San Francisco: Bohemian Grove, 1912. 8vo, single sheet/folded program. Condition: Good; light toning, Estimate $500-$700. 

LOT 20:  “THAT’S NOT MY BAGHDAD,” 1969 BOHEMIAN CLUB POSTER. Artist: George Lichty (1905-1983). The Bohemian Club Presents, “That’s Not My Baghdad,” 1969 Low Jinks Poster, two-sided. 22″ x 16 3/8″. Condition: fold creases; very light soiling. Estimate $300-$500. 

LOT 206:  ARTIST: XAVIER MARTINEZ (1869-1943). Title/Description: “1 Year After”; a caricature self-portrait depicting a humorous take on parenthood as an artist, with Elsie Whitaker Martinez, and their daughter Micaela in a buggy along with a canvas and paintbrushes. Unsigned. Date: Circa 1914. Medium: Charcoal on paper. Size: 10″ x 12″. Condition: toning, scattered foxing; a few small edge tears. PROVENANCE: Acquired from the Turner Auctions + Appraisals sale, “The Bohemian World of Xavier Martinez,” February 25, 2023, featuring property from The Family of Xavier Martinez (1869-1943), Elsie Whitaker Martinez (1890-1984), and Micaela Martinez DuCasse (1913-1989). Xavier “Marty” Martinez was an early member of the Bohemian Club, being invited to join in 1897. He was a noted artist among the ranks and was elected to the List of Fifty. Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, he moved to the Piedmont/Oakland hills, where he built a studio behind the home of writer and fellow Bohemian, Herman Whitaker, and soon after married Whitaker’s daughter, Elsie. TOGETHER WITH: Neubert, George W. Xavier Martinez (1869-1943); The Oakland Museum Art Special Gallery (Exhibition Catalog, February 12-April 7, 1974). Oakland: The Oakland Museum, Art Department, 1974. 4to. Pictorial paper wraps. Condition: overall good; crease to front cover; small pencil mark to cover; library stamps to cover and fore-edges. Estimate $300-$500. 

LOT 5:  BOHEMIAN CLUB CONSTITUTION/BY-LAW BOOKS: 1907, 1914. BOHEMIAN CLUB, SAN FRANCISCO, CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION, CONSTITUTION, BY-LAWS AND RULES, OFFICERS, COMMITTEES, AND MEMBERS (two volumes: 1907, 1914). San Francisco: The Bohemian Club. 12mo. Red cloth, gilt-stamped club armorial/motto. 142 pages. Each volume contains complete lists of members for the given year; and a list of all former officers from 1872 onward. 1.) 1907. Condition: staining, fading to cloth, wear to spine; edge wear; toning; pencil notations to front end leaf; slightly shaken. 2.) 1914. Condition: light scuffing to cloth; inked notations on cover; toning; the member section with contemporary inked marginalia/underlining (adding new members with dates, and striking members out). Estimate $300-$500. 

LOT 53: “CREMATION OF CARE,” 1971 BOHEMIAN GROVE POSTER. Artist: Marshall D. Potter (1920-2005). Bohemian Grove, 1971 Cremation of Care Poster, two-sided. 20″ x 15″. Condition: fold creases, small dings to corners/edge. Estimate $200-$300. 

LOT 78: BOHEMIAN GROVE WINE LISTS (2), RED/WHITE, 1977. Two Bohemian Grove Wine Lists, one for red wines, one for white wines, 1977; each one-sided; 13″ x 9 1/2″. Condition: both very good. Estimate $250-$350. 

LOT 58:  BOHEMIAN CLUB PATRIOTIC FLYERS (2), 1960S-1970S. 1.) Artist: Hubert Buel (1915-1984). Bohemian Club program/menu flyer, Damn the Torpedos!, January 19, 1961, C. W. Nimitz, Sire. Single sheet, folded11 3/4″ x 8″. Lithograph illustration. Condition: pinholes and small corner tears at top. 2.) Bohemian Club, Our Town’s Gala February 19th Fourth of July Picnic Celebration, two-sided flyer, 1976. 14″ x 8 1/2″. Condition: good; slight fold crease at bottom; pinholes at one corner. Estimate $200-$300. 

LOT 29: “CHARLIE’S LITTLE ACRE,” 1979 BOHEMIAN GROVE POSTER. Artist: Wayne Pope (Epop) (1932-2017). Bohemian Grove, Charlie’s Little Acre, 1979 Low Jinks Poster, two-sided. 10″ x 15″. Condition: overall very good; appears to be some fading to title, tiny corner crease, small mark lower left. Estimate $200-$300. 

LOT 205:  ANNALS OF THE BOHEMIAN CLUB, VOLS. V-VIII. THE ANNALS OF THE BOHEMIAN CLUB (five volumes): 1.) VOLUME V. Centennial Edition, For the Years 1907-1972. Alexander T. Case, Editor. San Francisco: The Bohemian Club, 1972. 4to. Gilt-stamped blue-green cloth boards. Condition: Good. 2.) VOLUME VI: 1973-1987. Kevin Starr, Editor.4to. Gilt-stamped blue-green cloth boards. Condition: Good. 3.) VOLUME VII: 1988-1996. Jerry C. Cole, Editor.4to. Gilt-stamped blue-green cloth boards. Condition: Good. 4.-5.) VOLUME VIII, THE VISUAL ARTS IN BOHEMIA, 125 Years of Artistic Creativity in the Bohemian Club (two copies). James Earl Jewell, Editor. 4to. Olive green cloth boards; tipped-on gilt/black pictorial paper label. Condition: Good; one copy with fading to cloth. TOGETHER WITH: two reprint/ facsimile editions (Volume IV, 1930; and Volume II, 1887), and miscellaneous facsimile ephemera. Estimate $300-$500. 

LOT 33: “I, GLUTEUS,” 1985 BOHEMIAN CLUB POSTER. Artist: Wayne Pope (1932-2017). Bohemian Club Production; I, Gluteus, 1985 Low Jinks Poster, two-sided. 20 1/2″ x 15″. Condition: very good. Estimate $100-$200. 

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Based in South San Francisco, Turner Auctions + Appraisals was founded by Stephen Turner to expand and complement the capabilities of Stephen G. Turner Associates, an auction and appraisal consulting firm founded in 2004. Turner Auctions + Appraisals presents online auctions in diverse categories of personal property (www.turnerauctionsonline.com). Among them are Fine Arts, Decorative Arts, Asian Arts, Toys, Jewelry, Militaria, Ethnic Arts, and others. The company offers a range of auction and appraisal services for buyers, sellers, and collectors. Online auctions are held several times a month. Working with leading live and online auction houses on the West Coast since 1991, Turner is a professional appraiser of personal property and seasoned auctioneer. His areas of expertise include fine art, decorative arts, antiques & residential contents. The company welcomes consignments and appraisals.

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