Rare Memorial Stereoview of Charles Sumner

Description

Rare Memorial Stereoview of Charles Sumner

An unusual 19th-century stereoscopic card featuring the prominent abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner (1811–1874). The central albumen portrait of Sumner is framed within an elaborate photomontage of pressed botanical arrangements—ferns, leaves, and floral motifs—creating a dramatic, almost cathedral-like setting. Beneath the image is a printed caption in ornate period script reading “Charles Sumner.” Sumner, a leading Radical Republican, was an ardent anti-slavery voice in Congress and famously the victim of the 1856 caning on the Senate floor by Representative Preston Brooks, an event that galvanized Northern public opinion against the “Slave Power.” This stereoview, with its artistic floral embellishments, exemplifies the mid-Victorian fascination with combining photography, nature, and sentimentality. The card retains its original mount with yellow border and measures approximately 3 ½” x 7”. Light surface wear from handling, but the image remains sharp and detailed, with strong contrast in both the portrait and botanical design. A fine and scarce piece blending political portraiture with period photographic artistry, honoring one of the most influential statesmen of the Civil War era.

Inventory Number: ALB 322