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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.

Volck, Adalbert John (1828-1912) Vicksburg canal

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00493.29 Author/Creator: Volck, Adalbert John (1828-1912) Place Written: s.l. Type: Print Date: circa 1880-1890 Pagination: 1 etching : b&w ; 26.2 x 34.7 cm. Order a Copy

In a lush swamp, two men spy on something unseen, probably the canal. One of the men appears to be a scout, dressed in animal skins and wearing a fur hat. The other man wears a Confederate uniform and peers through a telescope. Both men are armed with rifles, the latter is also equipped with a pistol. Size in extent is for the mount. The actual size of the etching is 20.6 x 26.7 cm. Title in pencil on verso.

Adalbert John Volck was a dentist, political cartoonist, and a caricaturist who sympathized with the Southern cause. During the Civil War, Volck supported the Confederacy through his satirical political cartoons. He also smuggled drugs and medical supplies for the Confederate army, and served as a personal courier to President Jefferson Davis.

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