Girls in Blue, Friends of Frank
By Richard Look Two young ladies put on the uniform of a soldier named Frank and posed for their portraits in 1863. We know this from notes tucked into the
Category: The Citizenry
Nelly McClellan, America’s Flora McFlimsey
By Elizabeth A. Topping Ellen Mary Marcy McClellan remained an ardent supporter of her husband, Maj. Gen. George Brinton McClellan, throughout his military career. Though “Nelly” had rejected his marriage
Feeding the Western Troops
It is easy to imagine soldiers of the advancing Union armies in the Western Theater, cooking rations around campfires after a long day’s march. Wartime photographs of these men, posed
The Waffle Girls
By Elizabeth A. Topping The unidentified young ladies in these photographs are often misidentified as Civil War nurses. However, with a turn of the carte, one can discern from the
York’s Ministering Angels
By Elizabeth A. Topping Tucked beneath this intimate image of nine young ladies holding hands or interlocking arms was a patriotic envelope depicting a mother eagle tending to her young.
President-Elect Lincoln Meets a Revolutionary War Veteran
A memorable meeting between two distinguished visitors took place at the Astor House in New York City during the morning of February 20, 1861. President-elect Abraham Lincoln, on his way
A Sanitary Fair Memento Recalls a Company of St. Louis Defenders
Love of country dominates this portrait of a young woman who posed for this photograph during the Civil War. An analysis of this image points to her being a volunteer
Disability Presented New Challenges
By Elizabeth A. Topping When we think of people with physical disabilities during the Civil War period, we tend to bring to mind images of soldiers. Surgeons performed a staggering
Birth of the American Calisthenics Movement
By Elizabeth A. Topping, featuring images and artifacts from the the author’s collection. Calisthenics were introduced to Americans by Europeans in the 1830s. Light, choreographed movements set to music exercised
Albany Army Relief Bazaar Participants
By Elizabeth A. Topping According to an inscription on the back of this carte de visite, these girls participated in the Army Relief Bazaar held at Albany, N.Y. The hugely