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Extremely desirable franking signature, “Go: Washington,” on a 6.25 x 3.5 mailing panel addressed in the hand of David Humphreys, Washington’s aide-de-camp, “For, Col’o The’o Bland, a Delegate in Congress, Philadelphia,” with George Washington adding his franking signature to the lower left. Addressed to Theodorick Bland during his service in the Continental and Confederation Congresses (1780-1783), when the national legislature was meeting in Philadelphia, the piece can be dated to the later years of the Revolutionary War, when Washington and his aides were in regular correspondence with congressional delegates. Archivally matted and framed under Tru Vue UV-protective glass with an engraved portrait (bearing a facsimile signature) to an overall size of 11.25 x 18.75. In very good to fine condition, with some faint staining, and a couple of small repairs. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from JSA.
Theodorick Bland (1742–1790) was a Virginia planter, physician, and Revolutionary War officer who served as a delegate to the Continental and Confederation Congresses from 1780 to 1783, where he was involved in coordinating military efforts and strengthening the financial stability of the war. A cavalry officer who rose to the rank of colonel, Bland worked closely with General George Washington, who in 1778 entrusted him with supervising the relocation of the captured British and German ‘Convention Army’ from Massachusetts to Virginia; Bland subsequently served as commandant of the prisoner encampment near Charlottesville, restoring order and discipline among both guards and prisoners. A prominent Anti-Federalist, he later served in the Virginia House of Delegates and was elected to the First U.S. House of Representatives, where he died in office in 1790.
David Humphreys (1752–1818) was a Revolutionary War colonel and aide-de-camp to George Washington, serving from June 23, 1780, until the end of the war as one of Washington’s principal secretaries and a trusted member of his inner circle, responsible for drafting correspondence and transmitting orders on his behalf. He later served as secretary and intelligence agent to Benjamin Franklin in Paris, U.S. minister to Portugal and Spain, and as a prominent literary figure and member of the Hartford Wits. As Washington’s speechwriter during his presidency, he is often regarded as the nation’s first presidential speechwriter.
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