Below are samples of the items acquired by the Supreme Court Historical Society in 2009:
Silhouette of Chief Justice John Marshall
Silhouette of Chief Justice John Marshall, c. 1840-1890
Framed anonymous hollow-cut silhouette of Chief Justice John Marshall, depicted in his robes and sitting in a chair, facing right, holding a sheaf of papers out in front of him. Written below in faded ink is "John Marshall/Chief Justice U.S."
Chief Pencil Sketch of Charles Evans Hughes,
c. 1939-1941
Pencil Sketch of Charles Evans Hughes, c. 1939-1941
Lightly drawn bust-length pencil sketch of Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes by Austrian artist Oskar Stoessel. It is probably a preliminary sketch, drawn from life, for Stoessel's etching of Hughes, a copy of which was acquired through the Supreme Court Historical Society in 2006. Hughes' face has been drawn and shaded in detail while his shirt collar and tie are barely rendered. Signed in pencil is "St" [Stoessel]. This is the fourteenth piece by Mr. Stoessel in the Court's collection, and the first drawing.
Agnes Stone Watercolor, c. 1930-1958
Mexican Landscape by Agnes Stone, c. 1930-1958
Watercolor landscape of a small Mexican village by Agnes Stone, wife of Chief Justice Harlan Fiske Stone. Interestingly, on the back of the painting is another of a Maine fishing scene, also in watercolor. She clearly favored the Mexican landscape, for it was facing out when the framed piece was purchased, and was also signed (the Maine scene appears to be unfinished, and is unsigned). Mrs. Stone was an accomplished amateur painter who showed often in the mid-Atlantic, with three solo exhibits at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in the 1930s and 1940s.
Agnes Stone Watercolor, c. 1930-1958
Maine Fishing Scene by Agnes Stone, c. 1930-1958
(back of Mexican Landscape)
Photograph of Chief Justice William H. Taft, c. 1926. Framed, bust-length formal photograph of Chief Justice Taft, by Barnett Clinedinst. Inscribed by Taft to Lee Basye, Assistant Attorney General of Nebraska .
Photographs of Harlan F. Stone
Top left: Justice Stone seated in his robes, March 2, 1925. The press caption reads, in part: "Justice Stone has already been sworn in by Chief Justice Taft and is seen [here] for the first time in his judicial robes."
Top right: Justice Stone standing on the sidewalk outside his home, February 1, 1937. Press caption reads, in part: “Justice Stone has been seriously ill for the last three months. Several important decisions have been awaiting his return to the Bench."
Bottom left: Justice Stone rowing near his summer home in Isle au Haute, Maine, August 11, 1937.
Bottom right: Justice Stone with his wife Agnes in the back seat of a car, on their way to the annual State Reception to the Judiciary, hosted by President Roosevelt at the White House, January 6, 1939.
