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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.

Gardner, Alexander (1821-1882) "What do I want, John Henry?"

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05111.01.0101 Author/Creator: Gardner, Alexander (1821-1882) Place Written: Warrenton, Virginia Type: Photograph Date: November 1862 Pagination: 1 albumen print ; 25.3 x 20.7 cm. Order a Copy

A photographic print of three Union officers and two civilians in front of two large tents. Title from Gardner's Sketchbook No. 27 which reproduces this image with a text concerning "John Henry" [a former slave noted for his intelligence] and "Captain H--," quartermaster at headquarters. This famous image shows a young black man waiting on a white Union captain. Labeled "2076" on negative.

Information about this photograph available on the Library of Congress website at https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.12834/?sp=62.

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