The collection of award-winning American journalist and broadcaster Barbara Walters, who died in 2022, is due to be sold at Bonhams auction house this week. Walters, who has been described as a “trailblazer who reshaped the media landscape, breaking barriers for women in journalism” lived on New York’s Upper East Side in a house which was listed for sale earlier this year for $19.75 million. She was the first female co-host of a US network news programme (NBC’s Today morning show) and subsequently the first female evening news anchor in America. But she is best remembered for the high-profile interviews she did of politicians, cultural figures, world leaders, and royalty, from Katharine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor, to Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, and every American President and First Lady from Richard and Pat Nixon to Barack and Michelle Obama.

Bonhams are offering her collection in 300 lots, which includes stand-out pieces of American Art, her iconic jewellery collection and décor and personal ephemera from her estate. Walters planned the sale of her collection, stating that the net proceeds should go to various charities. Anna Hicks, Head of the Department for Furniture and Decorative Arts at Bonhams in Los Angeles, told Town and Country Magazine that “Barbara’s collection portrays a powerful, educated, and exquisitely elegant woman. You see a strong sense of femininity seen in the ornate furniture and paintings of idyllic scenes. What sets her collection apart is its eclectic nature; she juxtaposed classical decor with bold, contemporary statement pieces”.

One of the top lots of the sale is undoubtedly John Singer Sargent’s Egyptian Woman (Coin Necklace) (1891). The painting depicts a women, her head turned in profile, wearing an elaborate necklace and her hair covered by a thin black veil. It carries an estimate of $1.2-1.8 million. Morgan Martin, the Head of the Department for American Art at Bonhams New York, said that Walters frequently visited the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where paintings by Sargent were displayed: “this likely guided her decision in acquiring Egyptian Woman as the counterpart, Madam X, hangs in the Met along with two other paintings featuring the same sitter in Egyptian Woman”. Other important paintings for sale include Childe Hassam’s The Peony Girl(estimate of $1-1.5 million) and Frank W. Benson’s Firelight, which carries an estimate of $400,000-600,000. Interestingly, just as Walters was a prominent female figure herself, many of the paintings in the sale are portraits with women centre stage.

Walters was known for her jewellery collection, which included a Harry Winston diamond engagement ring given to her by Merv Adelson. This is being sold with an estimate of $600,000-800,000. Caroline Morrissey from the Jewellery department at Bonhams New York, explained the significance of Walters’s jewellery collection, saying that, “when Barbara got ready every day, both her clothes and her jewelry played a huge part in her presentation. The vast majority of her jewels are big and bold – just like her personality. She was very diplomatic with how she wore her jewelry, often mixing costume with real, but her look was never complete without a pair of earrings and a big brooch or necklace.”

Beyond jewellery, the sale includes a number of silverware and service sets which Walters would have used to host the many prominent guests who came to her New York home, including Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Dr Henry and Nancy Kissinger, and Hugh Jackman.

Barbara’s daughter, Jacqueline Danforth, is assisting with the sale and commented on the collection, saying that, “our home was always filled with interesting and beautiful reminders of her incredible, diverse life. I know she would find comfort that these pieces she cherished so much will be enjoyed and cared for.”