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.

Bell, C. M. (Charles Milton), (c. 1849-1893) [Mary E. Walker, M.D.]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05152 Author/Creator: Bell, C. M. (Charles Milton), (c. 1849-1893) Place Written: Washington D.C. Type: Photograph signed Date: 1880 ca. Pagination: 1 cabinet card ; 16.5 x 10.6 cm. Order a Copy

Photograph of the Civil War surgeon Mary Walker wearing her army Medal of Honor. Walker's medal was revoked in 1917 when conditions for the medal were changed to warrant only battle conditions. Her Medal of Honor was reinstated in 1977. An inventor and advocate of women's rights, as well as a surgeon, she remains the only female recipient of the army Medal of Honor. GLC has a large collateral file of photocopies from the National Archives about Walker's Civil War work.

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