Exceptionally Rare Confederate, South Carolina Textile Taken by a Union Officer

Franco-American textile with the image of an eagle supporting knotted and draped american and French flags beneath four war planes; embroidered silk floss and metallic bullion thread...

“Visit To Camp,” an extraordinarily rare card game by mclaughlin brothers of new york, circa 1871. This extremely rare card game, designed with Civil War context, was made by McLoughlin Brothers in New York City. The set includes 12 (complete) chromolithographed, character playing cards, and 68 (out of 72) object cards, with various accoutrements. All of the above are housed in a wooden storage box with a slide lid and a chromolithographed, paper label. Played in an ad-lib, story-telling format, the characters include the Colonel, the Captain, the Zouave soldier with red pantaloons, the Rifleman, the Artilleryman, the Riding Master, the Musician, the Ferrier, the Surgeon, the Sapper (engineer), the Sutler (cook), and the Vi Vandeer (a woman who takes care of the troops). Each character was originally linked to 6 objects, which were to be produced by players on demand during a spoken reading of the game’s convoluted story-line. There are actually 69 cards included here, one of which is an object card for “the Chinaman.” Since the card matches the style exactly in printing, shape, and scale, and since there was no Chinaman in this game, I presume that the card must have once accompanied another McLaughlin ad-lib deck. The instructions (reproduced, in scale) list 13 possible players, with the 13th acting as narrator. I could locate only 3 other copies of this extremely rare game, all of which included 12 cards. McLoughlin Brothers is said to have pioneered the systematic use of color printing technologies in children’s books. The publishing firm opened in 1820 and was active until 1920, when it was sold to Milton Bradley. During the early years, the product line included toys in addition to books, among which were games, blocks, and paper dolls. Artwork from famous illustrators such as Thomas Nast, William Momberger, Ida Waugh” (Laura Wasowicz), Justin Howard, and Palmer Cox...

EXTRAORDINARILY RARE, YELLOW & WHITE, SUFFRAGE PARASOL / UMBRELLA, WITH “VOTES FOR WOMEN” TEXT, DISTRIBUTED BY THE NATIONAL AMERICAN WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE ASSOCIATION UNDER ANNA HOWARD SHAW’S LEADERSHIP [HEADQUARTERED IN NEW YORK], CIRCA 1913-1915: In the world of Suffrage memorabilia, parasols and umbrellas are known to have been produced, but hardly any exist. Made in both Britain and America, most of the organizations known to have commissioned them did so with white or purple, green, and white, utilizing the traditional British colors. In America, some of these can be identified to the Women’s Political Union of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. As for those in the traditional American colors of golden yellow and white, typically with black text, examples are known to have been produced and sold by the National American Women’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA), beginning in the summer of 1913. According to author and expert Ken Florey, the organization peddled them for “one dollar each or ten dollars a dozen…[promoting] them as good for advertising the cause at street meetings, summer resorts, and county fairs. The design consisted of yellow and white in alternate sections, with “Votes for Women” in the white sections.” Florey goes on to explain how some umbrellas in this style are known with names of states hand-painted in the yellow panels. I am aware of Oregon and Idaho. Florey also indicates that one is known for Alaska. His discussion of the subject, and an illustration of the Idaho example, appear in his book, "Women's Suffrage Memorabilia" (2013, McFarland & Co., North Carolina), on pp. 192 and A8, respectively. The Oregon example, which have seen and held first-hand, is illustrated in "The Keynoter: Journal of the American Political Items Conservators," Summer/Fall/Winter 2008 (Women's Suffrage Special Triple Issue), Vol. 2008, No. 2-4, p. 110. In “Woman Suffrage Memorabilia,” Florey describes a heavy demand for parade accoutrements in the 19-teens. Despite the supposed numbers in which these yellow and white umbrellas were likely to have been produced, this is the only example that I am aware has actually surfaced with the “Votes for Women” text only and no state names. This makes it far more universally desirable. A period image survives in the Albert R. Stone Negative Collection, Rochester Museum & Science Center (Rochester, New York,) of a women carrying parasols in this style on Main Street West in that city on August 15, 1914. The marchers, masked, were described as wearing yellow dominoes (nun-style dresses) and carrying yellow parasols. According to museum catalogers, “The outside parasols are plain; those on the inside have the inscription, "Votes for women". The first group, in yellow and blue dominoes, advertised the speech and visit of Dr. Anna Howard Shaw [this would be members of the Empire Campaign Committee]. The second group carried placards with the names of equal suffrage states and the dates when they adopted votes for women. The Club Theatre, whose sign advertising "Burlesque" is clearly visible behind the marchers, occupies the premises at 75 Main Street West formerly occupied by the Shubert Theatre.” The National American Women’s Suffrage Association was formed in 1890. It represented a merging of the two largest Suffrage groups in America before that time. These were the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), formed in 1869 by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), also formed in 1869 by Lucy Stone and her Husband, Henry Brown Blackwell, Henry Ward Beecher, and others. Stone’s daughter, Alice Stone...

RARE SUFFRAGETTE ARMBAND IN GOLDEN YELLOW FELT, ONE OF ONLY TWO EXAMPLES THAT I HAVE ENCOUNTERED IN THIS COLOR & THE ONLY ONE IN THIS EXACT STYLE; MADE circa 1912-1919: Wide, felt ...

RARE FELT PENNANT FROM THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON, AUGUST 28, 1963, WHEN MARTIN LUTHER KING DELIVERED HIS HISTORIC "I HAVE A DREAM" SPEECH Printed in white pigment on scarlet red felt,...

34 STARS IN 4 ROWS WITH 2 STARS OFFSET AT THE HOIST END, ON AN ANTIQUE AMERICAN FLAG LIKELY PRODUCED FOR MILITARY FUNCTION, AS UNION ARMY CAMP COLORS; ONE OF JUST A TINY HANDFUL THAT I HAVE ENCOUNTERED IN THIS EXACT STYLE, REFLECTS KANSAS STATEHOOD, OPENING TWO YEARS OF THE CIVIL WAR...

This very well executed hand-carved smoking pipe is unsigned, but presumed to have originated from the United States and date to approximately 1920 and done in an American Craftsman style. The pipe stem is composed of vulcanite with a silver plated band. The pipe features asvery detailed and realistic carving of a Confederate soldier...

This is a beautiful Union Jack parade flag, dating from the early 1950s, during the early years of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. The flag is printed on cotton, with machine-sewn hemmed...

A rare French Military Academy Officer's hat or cap from the 1970s. These special and unique hats are part of the uniform of students studying to become officers in the French Milita...

A rare French Military Academy Officer's hat or cap from the 1970s. These special and unique hats are part of the uniform of students studying to become officers in the French Milita...

Very rare west riding constabulary cast iron wall plaque This branch of the British police force was established in 1825, Yorkshire was divided into ...

Very rare William and Mary pewter trefid spoon the handle molded in relief with portraits and dating from around 1690. The spoon has an elongated rounded ...