North American Auction Company
Live Auction

Timeless Treasures: 19th C. Native, Western Photographs & French Elegance

Sat, Sep 13, 2025 11:00AM EDT
  2025-09-13 11:00:00 2025-09-13 11:00:00 America/New_York North American Auction Company North American Auction Company : Timeless Treasures: 19th C. Native, Western Photographs & French Elegance https://live.naabid.com/auctions/north-american-auction/timeless-treasures-19th-c-native-western-photographs-french-elegance-20467
Join us Saturday, September 13th at 9am MT in Bozeman, MT for Timeless Treasures: 19th C. Native, Western Photographs & French Elegance. This exceptional auction features a remarkable collection of 19th-century Native American artifacts, rare Western photography by Haynes, Huffman, and other Montana photographers, and an impressive selection of 18th-century French furniture. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to acquire historic and elegant treasures. Browse the full catalog at live.naabid.com
North American Auction Company tucker@naabid.com
Lot 632

Ca. 1897 Speedwell Boat Photo by W. Heeley Photo

Estimate: $200 - $400
Starting Bid
$50

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
Featured in this lot is this original photo of the well known boat Speedwell, built in 1897, and photographed in 1897 to 1902 by W. Heeley. The Speedwell was a wooden packet steamer built in 1897 to serve the Pacific North East river systems at a time when steam-powered ships were critical for regional transit. She mostly operated on the Kanawha River and its smaller streams, transporting freight, mail, and passengers between isolated towns. After five years of service, Sam L. Parsons, a local riverboat operator, purchased the Speedwell in 1902. Following the sale, the vessel was renamed, signaling the end of her service under the Speedwell name. The photo shows the Speedwell moving to its next destination hauling its crew and stacks of lumber. It flies an American flag off the back and the name "Speedwell" can be seen on a board near the middle mast. The photo sits on a large board and has been embossed in the bottom right hand corner reading, "W. Heeley Photos". The piece shows good condition overall with slight wear present from its age and use over the years, but no signs of major damage is noted. The visible photo measures 6 1/8" L x 8" W, while the entire piece measures 10" L x 12" W. It weighs under 6 ounces.

All items will ship at our North American Auction Company in-house shipping department. Please allow up to 14-21 days after a complete invoice payment is made to package and ship your purchase. After you are notified of your winning bids from our company and your item invoice is paid in full our new shipping department will contact you. Make sure when signing up with our company that your preferred shipping information is up to date as this information will be used to estimate shipping cost. Once the items have been packaged our team will contact you for shipping payment. Shipping invoices and payment will be completely separately than the items invoice. Please notify the shipping department with any alternate request or instructions at mark@naabid.com or 800-686-4216 ext. 3. For a shipping quote please contact the same information above. PLEASE NOTE a shipping quote price can fluctuate in price. Auction company is not responsible for actual shipping cost being higher than quoted shipping cost. Thank you for trusting North American Auction Co. with your bids and shipping. As our shipping department is brand new please understand that delays can be expected.