George B. McClellan: An Extremely Rare and Important 1864 Campaign Lantern. ...

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George B. McClellan: An Extremely Rare and Important 1864 Campaign Lantern. Among sophisticated collectors of early political display items, virtually no category is more highly prized than the lanterns which were carried to illuminate nighttime rallies and torchlight parades. This remarkable McClellan example is one of the finest of that genre that we have ever encountered.

Constructed of opaque paper, with cardboard base and top, it folds open to form an 8.375" cube. A tin receptacle (not present) to hold a candle would be attached inside at the center of the base, allowing the light to shine through the paper and emphasize the silhouetted portrait and slogans.

This is the last remaining item from the legendary U.I. "Chick" Harris Collection. It was overlooked during the original auctions of most of the collection in 1998-2000, and was once again overlooked last year when Heritage auctioned the remaining items from the collection that Chick and Ceil had held back for their personal enjoyment. The lantern came to light only this summer, when the Harris home was being cleaned out to prepare it to be sold.

Chick discovered two similar lanterns many years ago, the other having slogans on all four sides and no portrait. That lantern was sold by Slater's Americana in December of 2000, when it fetched $7,523. The present example, featuring a portrait of McClellan and fabulous slogans, must surely be considered the more important of the two. The three slogan panels read, "Laws and No Jokes!", "The Union and Liberty", and "Shodyites are Nowhere!" "Shodyites" is actually a misspelling of Shoddyites, a disparaging term for contractors who were held to profit exorbitantly by the sale of inferior uniforms, foodstuffs, and other goods to the Union war effort. Not surprisingly, there were charges of political cronyism, alleging that political allies of the Republican administration benefited unduly from such contracts.

This lantern displays in near-mint condition, and appears never to have seen use. There were some separations along fold lines, as is usually the case with these fragile items. Accordingly, a professional paper conservator applied a novel technique to stabilize the lantern: typically such separations are repaired by reinforcing them from the inside, an imperfect solution since when the lantern is illuminated the repairs are obvious. In this case, the conservator completely relined each of the four panels with a thin paper coating, which reinforced all the separations and gave the lantern great overall stability and a perfect appearance. Original wire loop on top for carrying or suspension from a hook on the top of a pole. A museum quality artifact worthy of the most advanced collection.