North America

Two portraits of Regency beauties by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) come for sale at Cottone Auctions in Geneso, New York, on March 20. Both come by descent from by the Buffalo industrialist Colonel Charles Clifton (1853-1928) who paid huge sums for them in the early 1920s.

Introduced in 1960, the Bulova Accutron 214 was one of the electronic trailblazers.

Rare prints from a remarkable collection deaccessioned from a library in Massachusetts came for sale at Tremont Auctions (24% buyer’s premium) on February 25.

One of the stand-out results at a three-day auction of a huge American book collection came for a very British lot.

Chicago sale offers more than 300 works related to the British author amassed by US collectors

Fifteeth year of the New York event involves 28 dealers and 12 salerooms taking part

This single-sheet letter was written by Catherine de Medici (1519-89) to the ambassador to Spain.

The 'International Exhibition of Modern Art' held at the 69th Regiment Armory building in New York from February 15 to March 15, 1913, ushered in a new era for the art market.

Market shows strength only for select works as sourcing high-quality material proves inceasingly difficult

Running for the first time under new ownership Master Drawings New York (MDNY) produced strong results for many of its exhibitors, including London dealer Guy Peppiatt.

The British and US postal clerks aboard transatlantic liners had the duty of sorting the mail during the passage.

Richard Potter (1783-1835) is considered the first successful stage magician born in the US and African-American celebrity.

Both Sotheby’s and Christie’s offered notable works by French artist Hubert Robert (1733-1808) at the latest Old Master auction series in New York.

A printing of George Washington’s 1795 Thanksgiving Day proclamation sold way above hopes at Sarasota Estate Auction (23% buyer’s premium) in Florida.

A Chinese blue and white dish recognised by bidders as a fine example of bleu de Hue porcelain flew to $26,000 (£20,500).

The most eagerly contested lot at the Echoes Antiques & Auction Gallery (23% buyer’s premium) sale on January 23 was a Japanese cloisonné miniature teapot bearing the mark of the great Namikama Yasuyuki.