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.

unknown, fl. 1861-1865; [Albumen portrait of Winfield Scott Hancock]

High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00731.01 Author/Creator: unknown, fl. 1861-1865; Place Written: s.l. Type: Photograph Date: circa 1861-1865 Pagination: 1 albumen : b&w ; 41.5 x 30.0 cm. Order a Copy

One undated half-length portrait of Union General Winfield Scott Hancock in Union uniform.

An 1844 graduate of West Point, Hancock earned the recognition of his superiors early in his career for demonstrating gallantry in the Mexican-American War and the Third Seminole War, among other campaigns. In September 1861, when Hancock arrived in the East to begin service in the Union Army, General George B. McClellan immediately appointed him as a brigadier general of volunteers. By November 1862, he had risen to the rank of Major General. Hancock is most celebrated for his tactical decisions at the Battle of Gettysburg, including putting up an impressively strong front against onrushing Confederates on the first day of battle and repulsing the famed Pickett's Charge on the second.

Hancock, Winfield Scott, 1824-1886

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources