LOT #47071 |
Sold on Dec 12, 2014 for: Sign-in
or Join (free & quick)
[Slavery]. Carte de Visite: "The Scourged Back."...
Click the image to load the highest resolution version.
Sold on Dec 12, 2014 for:
$3,750.00
Bid Source: Internet bidder
Get one of these:
Explore Available Items
Description
[Slavery]. Carte de Visite: "The Scourged Back." 2.5" x 4". The shocking reality of slavery is graphically illustrated in this photograph of "Gordon," a slave from St. Landry's Parish, Louisiana, who escaped bondage in 1863 and fled some eighty miles east to Baton Rouge, where he was protected by Union forces. Upon reaching Union lines, Gordon decided to enlist and while being measured for his uniform, the scars on his back were discovered. Gordon then posed for a photographer, who took this iconic photograph of his back. On the verso is printed an extract of a letter from S.K. Towle, a surgeon in the 30th Massachusetts Infantry, to the surgeon-general of the state of Massachusetts, dated April 16, 1863, in full: "I enclose a picture taken by an artist here, from life, of a Negro's back, exhibiting the scars from an old whipping. Few sensation writers ever depicted worse punishments than this man must have received, though nothing in his appearance indicates any unusual viciousness-but on the contrary, he seems INTELLIGENT AND WELL-BEHAVED." Published by McAllister & Brothers, Philadelphia.Auction Info
2014 December 12 Civil War & Militaria Signature Auction - Dallas #6131 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2014
12th
Friday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 9
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 2,699
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% on the first $100,000 (minimum $14), plus 20% of any amount between $100,000 and $1,000,000, plus 12% of any amount over $1,000,000 per lot.
Shipping, Taxes, Terms and Bidding
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms
Important information concerning Sales Tax and Resale Certificates. Learn More
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms