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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.

Unknown [Great Central Fair for the Sanitary Commission envelope]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04642 Author/Creator: Unknown Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Envelope Date: circa 1864 Pagination: 1 envelope : illustrated ; 7.8 x 14.1 cm. Order a Copy

Includes a printed scene depicting a wounded Union soldier in the foreground and a United States Sanitary Commission horse-drawn wagon in the background. Addressed to Joseph Reese Fry, who served as an organizer of the Union League of Philadelphia and as Chairman of the Committee on Musical Entertainments of the Sanitary Fair.

The Great Central Fair for the United States Sanitary Commission opened in June 1864 in Logan Square, Philadelphia. The Fair was held to raise funds for Union soldiers in need of basic necessities and medical supplies.

Fry, J. Reese (Joseph Reese), 1811-1865

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