Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Endicott & Co. U.S. iron clad ram. Dictator.

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03530 Author/Creator: Endicott & Co. Place Written: New York, New York Type: Print Date: circa 1863 Pagination: 1 lithograph : hand col. ; 44.8 x 76.3 cm. Order a Copy

Title continues "Designed by J. Ericsson. Built at the Delameter Iron Works, New York. 1863. " Created by Endicott & Co. at 59 Beekman Street, New York. Image dominated by the low-lying "Dictator" -- the deck appears to be only a few feet from the water. The ship is sailing in a calm day with small waves depicted in the ocean. In the far background a flock of seagulls is beginning to descend upon the "Dictator" while three sailing ships float on the horizon. The entire top half of the lithograph shows a sky with light-colored clouds. Statistics on the ship's size and engines are beneath the image. There is some discoloration from sunlight and slight damage at the corners. Three pieces of tape are affixed to the top verso where tears or the beginning of tears are.

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