"I THOUGHT YOUR GOVERNMENT WAS MORE MAGNANIMOUS THAN To HUNT DOWN WOMEN And CHILDREN"
St. Johnsbury, Vt: T. C. Haynes, Photographer & Ambrotypist, R. R. Street, (n. d.). Ca 1865. Mount with dual red perimeter rules, clipped corners, title caption printed under the image, photographer imprint to verso. LoC copy [ppmsca 34492] noting C. H. Anderson as the copyright claimant, with such printed on their CDV. Image shows face of Davis imposed on that of a woman grasping her dress with her left hand, holding a dagger in her right. Albumen photograph: 3-1/2" x 2-1/8". Mount: Now housed in a clear archival mylar sleeve. Modest wear & signs of use. A VG copy. Item #52313
Jefferson Davis, "a former U.S. Senator and Secretary of War, served as the first and only President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War (1861--1865). After the collapse of the Confederacy, Davis fled southward, hoping to escape to a sympathetic territory. On May 10, 1865, he was captured by Union troops near Irwinville, Georgia. Popular Northern legend --- exaggerated for political satire --- claimed that Davis attempted to evade capture by disguising himself in women's clothing, though historical accounts confirm only that he wore his wife's shawl in haste. Nevertheless, the image of Davis in full female attire became a widespread source of ridicule in the North, spawning political cartoons, illustrated CDVs like this one, and countless printed jokes. These artifacts reflect the Union's efforts to delegitimize Davis's leadership and mock the Confederacy's defeat." [RBH Record Number 60425-365].
Price: $225.00