As part of their upcoming Civil War auction being held in Nashville, Tennessee, Heritage will offer the earliest known, and the only daguerreotype, image of Judah P. Benjamin, an important figure in the Confederate government. Benjamin (1811 - 1884) is arguably, after Albert Einstein, the most important Jewish-American historical figure.

Born in the Virgin Islands, Benjamin came to Charleston, South Carolina as a child. There his father, a prominent merchant, helped found the nation's first Jewish Reform congregation. Opportunity lured the young Benjamin westward to Louisiana, where he was admitted to the bar in 1832. By 1842, he sat in the state legislature. Benjamin's political star thereafter ascended rapidly and the 1850s found him serving in the United States Senate on behalf of Southern interests. At that time he formed a bond with the future President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis, who also was active in the government in Washington.

Benjamin became a key player in the Confederate government, serving in three successive cabinet posts: Attorney General, Secretary of War, and Secretary of State. In this last role, Benjamin's considerable diplomatic skills were instrumental in obtaining critical material aid from sympathizers abroad. There was strong support for the Confederacy in England, which became Benjamin's refuge after the war. The former Confederate cabinet member, in fact, launched a highly successful career as a London barrister. Historians regard Judah Benjamin as one of the most brilliant and effective officers in the Confederate government, and one of the pioneering Jewish-Americans to hold high political office.

Only a few original images of Benjamin survive. The sixth plate daguerreotype offered by Heritage is a previously-unpublished image that is marked by the genial expression typical of Benjamin's other known portraits. Noted photography expert Grant Romer of the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography suggests that it was probably taken in 1846 while Benjamin was a prosperous attorney and sugar planter. The portrait was likely taken in New Orleans or Baton Rouge, where daguerreotype studios were known to have operated.

Previously the earliest known image of Benjamin was an ambrotype, a later photographic process generally viewed by hobbyists as less desirable than daguerreotypes. "The spectacular portrait now offered at auction is of immense importance in terms of the history of Louisiana, the Confederacy, and American photography," declared Heritage Americana Department head Tom Slater. "But it is especially significant as it relates to the Jewish experience in 19th century America."

"It is very hard to predict an auction price for such a unique and important piece, " observed Slater, "but Heritage has set a catalog estimated value of $50,000 - 75,000."

This important image will be offered in Heritage Auction Galleries' upcoming Civil War auction, to be held on December 1 & 2 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Mary Chestnut Album Featured in Ken Burns Documentary

Heritage Auction Galleries will present the Civil War-era photo album of diarist Mary Chestnut, images from which were featured in Ken Burns' television series The Civil War, in our upcoming Grand Format auction, to be held December 1, 2007 in Nashville, Tennessee.

"Mary was an intelligent chronicler of the Civil War," said Gary Hendershott, Director of Civil War Auctions for Dallas-based Heritage, "and she wrote of her associations with President Jefferson Davis, famous Confederate generals and civilians, and even of Abraham Lincoln. Her positions as a prominent socialite in her native South Carolina and wife of a Confederate general - who served as President Davis' personal aide and later rose to the rank of brigadier general - gave her rich insights."

Hendershott continued, "As she created her magnificent diary, she also collected a remarkable photograph album containing an amazing 211 carte de visite photographs of Confederate generals, politicians, and Chestnut family members. Many of the images are autographed by the sitters, with the identifications of the sitters and other entries added to the album in Mary's own hand. She started the collection after she was given one of the albums by South Carolina governor John Means."

"Chestnut would accumulate the photographs over the course of the war and often made reference to the albums in her diary," Hendershott said. "She once showed the album to a small boy, who, upon seeing the photograph of Abraham Lincoln, took the album from her hand and 'placed the book on the floor and struck old Abe in the face with his fist.' Many more references are of historical significance, such as the presentation of the carte de visite of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to Mary by Lee's own wife."

Captured by some of the most famous photographers of the era, such as Matthew Brady and the noted Quinby & Company of Charleston, South Carolina, important figures found in Chestnut's photo album include: Abraham Lincoln, shown beardless; Confederate President Jefferson Davis (signed); General Robert E. Lee (signed); James Buchanan; Henry Clay; Horace Greeley; abolitionists Henry Ward Beecher and Cassius M. Clay; Robert E. Lee's daughters, Agnes Lee and Mary Custis Lee; Lee's son, Major General George Washington Custis Lee; Mrs. Jefferson Davis; Edmund Ruffin, the man who fired the first shot at Fort Sumter at the beginning of the Civil War; William Montague Browne, the Confederate Secretary of State; Governor Francis Pickens of South Carolina; Governor James Adams of South Carolina; General James Jones, leader of the 'Minutemen' of South Carolina; Governor John L. Manning of South Carolina; Captain Francis J. Hartstene, Lieutenant John Randolph Hamilton, and Sidney. S. Lee, all of the Confederate States Navy; General P.G.T. Beauregard; Captain Langdon Cheves, designer of Battery Wagner; Colonel L. M. Keitt of the 23rd South Carolina Infantry and member of the Confederate Congress who was killed during the war; Mrs. Greenbow and her daughter who were imprisoned in the old Capitol, Washington, D.C.; Colonel Edward Mortimer Boykin of the 7th South Carolina Infantry; and Mary Chestnut herself.

"Mary Chestnut's photo album has been noted in such well-known Civil War books as William A. Turner's Even More Confederate Faces," said Hendershott, "where the Civil War historian notes that the album was passed from Mary's hands to those of her niece Mary Williams, and ultimately collected by Erick Davis, who made various pencil notations on the reverse of the cartes de visite . Mary's handwriting on the photographs is left untouched, a remarkable catalog of faces collected by the famous diarist of the Civil War."

"This exceptional document is only one of the fascinating treasures we're offering in our upcoming auction," Hendershott said. "I'd invite anyone interested in the history of this great country to visit our website at www.HA.com, where they'll be able to see enlargeable, full-color images of each and every lot, along with our informative and complete catalog descriptions. They'll even be able to place their bids online from the comfort and convenience of their home or office."

This important collection will be offered in Heritage Auction Galleries' upcoming Civil War auction, to be held on December 1, 2007, in Nashville, Tennessee.