1866 canvass print of the Emancipation Proclamation at an estate sale.

[timbobwey]

Stopped at an estate sale, was the last day. I walked by this old picture, it was just hanging off of the frame. I didnt think much if it at first, but when I looked closer I saw Abraham Lincoln on it. I could tell it was very old. I asked the man a bit about it, said he found it in an attic of a house they bought to fix up. Price tag was $40 on it, and he said he'd let it go for $10. I bought it and took it home and supported the canvass back to the frame. It has some water spots and some damage, some of the print is worn off of it, but it's a neat piece of history. There's a print on the back of it that says it was framed in my home town, kalamazoo michigan. He said he had it out there for 3 days and nobody wanted it, I cant believe how many people walked by this thing and didn't see the value in the history. Even if it's not worth much money, the frame is in great condition and it's an amazing piece to me. If anyone has any info on this please let me know.

 

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[UnderMiner]

Very nice, probably once belonged to either an abolitionist or a freed slave at some point.

 

[Digger RJ]

Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Red-Coat]

Great piece of history. The print is from an engraving by Alexander Hay Ritchie, produced in 1866 for publication by "The Independent" newspaper and then widely mass-produced as mezzotints, canvas-bonded prints and colourised prints. For years after the war, you would find them hanging in homes and (especially) in places like schools, libraries and civic offices... although not in all parts of the country (if you know what I mean).

Ritchie's engraving was based on Francis Bicknell Carpenter's much larger 1864 painting "First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln" now hanging in the Capitol Building, but with alterations to the composition.

Carpenter's original painting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Reading_of_the_Emancipation_Proclamation_of_President_Lincoln

Ritchie's engraving "after" Carpenter:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blog...president-lincolns-emancipation-proclamation/

 

[Trezurehunter]

Looks like another great Estate Sale find for you. Nice pick up.

 

[timbobwey]

Great piece of history. The print is from an engraving by Alexander Hay Ritchie, produced in 1866 for publication by "The Independent" newspaper and then widely mass-produced as mezzotints, canvas-bonded prints and colourised prints. For years after the war, you would find them hanging in homes and (especially) in places like schools, libraries and civic offices... although not in all parts of the country (if you know what I mean).

Ritchie's engraving was based on Francis Bicknell Carpenter's much larger 1864 painting "First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln" now hanging in the Capitol Building, but with alterations to the composition.

Carpenter's original painting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Reading_of_the_Emancipation_Proclamation_of_President_Lincoln

Ritchie's engraving "after" Carpenter:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blog...president-lincolns-emancipation-proclamation/

Thank you for the info, I'll definitely be hanging onto it. Any idea if it's worth anything? I see modern copies of the print online. This one is kind of beat up, but its one of the old ones.

 

[timbobwey]

Looks like another great Estate Sale find for you. Nice pick up.

I seem to have streaks where I'll have good finds, and then I lose momentum. But lately I've been doing well at sales.

 

[Red-Coat]

Thank you for the info, I'll definitely be hanging onto it. Any idea if it's worth anything? I see modern copies of the print online. This one is kind of beat up, but its one of the old ones.

You're welcome. An early canvas-bonded one would have some value, but really only if undamaged. Although these were mass-produced, many of them haven't survived to present day and those that have are frequently in poor condition.