The Collection of Anne Eisenhower with Property from President and Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Impeccably elegant, the late Anne Eisenhower was a premier American interior designer, collector and philanthropist — “an icon of sophistication,” as one publication put it. So much so, that when her jewelry was auctioned at Christie’s earlier this year, the sale realized $11.5 million — in just 31 lots, the top being the iconic 1937 Van Cleef & Arpels “Jarretière” ruby and diamond bracelet once owned by Marlene Dietrich. It went for $4.5 million.
Based in New York City, Eisenhower — who died in 2022 at age 73 — was also a member of one of the country’s prominent American families. A photograph shows two of President Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower’s grandchildren, Anne and Dwight David II, riding tricycles in front of the rounded South Portico of the White House on March 13, 1953. Closely following the success of the Christie’s sale is “The Collection of Anne Eisenhower with Property from President and Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower,” an exhibition and online auction organized by Lark Mason Associates of New Braunfels and New York City.
“We are very proud and excited to bring this collection to auction,” said founder and CEO Lark Mason. “Not only is there jewelry, furniture, clothing and other personal items curated exclusively from Anne’s Park Avenue apartment, there are remarkable objects from her grandparents. You just don’t get presidential things for sale. Ever.”
Several of those Eisenhower items on exhibit in New Braunfels stand out:
• Mother-of-pearl opera glasses, a gift to Mamie Eisenhower from Madame Chiang Kai-shek (estimate: $800-$1,200)
• Mamie’s Portuguese Ferreira Marques silver tureen and tray (estimate: $3,000-$5,000)
• Small Persian rug depicting a map of Iraq, a gift from that country to the president (estimate: $3,000-$5,000
• Sterling silver Reed and Barton presidential tea and coffee service, monogrammed with an E, with a dedication inscription to the president and first lady on the underside (estimate: $4,000-$6,000)
• Sterling silver Paul Revere presidential presentation bowl, Manchester Silver Co., presented as a gift to the president and first lady by the people of Rhode Island (estimate: $7,000-$10,000)
• Sterling silver Gorham Company military presentation tray, dated June 16, 1945, with inscription to the General of the Army and Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower from the citizens of the District of Columbia (estimate: $7,000-$10,000)
Other presidential items, as well as many notable Anne Eisenhower objects — including a pair of specimen marble busts of Roman emperors, an Italian lacca povera commode and a Versace dinner service — will be on exhibit at the Lark Mason Gallery in New Braunfels Nov. 18-Dec. 19.
The over 350-lot online auction — on igavelauctions.com — runs Nov. 21-Dec. 19.
The family will be donating a percentage of the proceeds from the auction, facilitated by Anne’s daughter Adriana Echavarría, to benefit Luke’s Wings, a Washington, D.C.-based charity that provides emergency travel for the families of injured service members, as well as the Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site in Denison, Texas. Born in 1890, Ike was the first president to be born in the Lone Star State.
“We also have a full slate of public events featuring representatives of three organizations exploring the life of Eisenhower,” Mason said.
