Snapshots of the Past

Destruction of the locomotives on the bridge over the Chickahominy – Antique Print

Destruction of the locomotives on the bridge over the Chickahominy, [1862 June] — historic drawing
Destruction of the locomotives on the bridge over the Chickahominy, [1862 June]. Historic drawing from the Locomotives collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

Step back in time with Destruction of the locomotives on the bridge over the Chickahominy, a historic drawing rich in period detail. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. A fine choice for anyone who loves history, and a gift that gets noticed. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Since 2001, Snapshots of the Past has shipped historic prints to tens of thousands of customers around the world.

Destruction of the locomotives on the bridge over the Chickahominy

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Few of the gallery's railroad pictures show the moment of wreckage as directly as this June 1862 drawing, which depicts locomotives being destroyed on a bridge over the Chickahominy River in Virginia. The artist worked in pencil, white gouache, and black ink wash on brown paper, a combination often used for quick field sketches that could be reworked into engravings for illustrated newspapers. In the spring and summer of 1862, the Chickahominy lay across the path of the Union army's advance toward Richmond during the Peninsula Campaign, and both sides targeted rail lines and rolling stock because supply and mobility depended on them. The drawing offers a rare, immediate view of that destruction.

Created / published[1862 June]
Medium1 drawing on brown paper : pencil, Chinese white, and black ink wash ; 18.3 x 25.9 cm. (sheet).
GenreDrawings American 1860-1870.
SubjectsRailroad bridges--1860-1870. Railroad locomotives--1860-1870. United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Destruction & pillage--Union.United States--Virginia--Chickahominy River
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,536 × 1,106 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-112765

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