Snapshots of the Past

Stephen's varieties No. 3: The slave in 1863 – Historic Print

Stephen's varieties No. 3: The slave in 1863, Philadelphia : c1863. — antique lithograph
Stephen's varieties No. 3: The slave in 1863, Philadelphia : c1863.. Antique lithograph from the African American History 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

Few images capture their era like this antique lithograph of Stephen's varieties No. 3: The slave in 1863. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

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Stephen's varieties No. 3: The slave in 1863

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Titled "The slave in 1863," this color lithograph is the third in a series called Stephen's Varieties, printed in Philadelphia around 1863 and copyrighted by William A. Stephens. The year in its title points to the Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, when the Civil War had become openly a conflict over slavery's future. Its form, a collecting card with an envelope, reflects the popular 1860s trade in small illustrated cards, many of which used racial caricature for humor. Today it is best read as evidence of how commercial printers portrayed Black Americans during the war, not as a neutral picture of life under slavery.

Created / publishedPhiladelphia : c1863.
Medium1 print : lithograph, color.
GenreCollecting cards 1860-1870.Envelopes 1860-1870.Lithographs 1860-1870.
NotesCopyright by William A. Stephens.
SubjectsSlaves--United States--1860-1870. United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--African-Americans.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,156 × 1,471 px · prints to 4 × 5 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-216630

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