(KLAN) CASED IMAGES Ku Klux Klansman in black hooded robe wi

Sale 2377 - Lot 280

Unsold

Estimate: $ 30,000 - $ 40,000

POSSIBLY THE EARLIEST KNOWN IMAGE (KLAN.) CASED IMAGES. Ku Klux Klansman in black hooded robe, with skull and bones in white on chest. Sixth plate cased tintype. Np, late 1860's

Set Alert for Similar Items

Additional Details

an extraordinary nineteenth century tintype photograph of a ku klux member, one of the earliest, if not the earliest such image known. Two carte-de-visite albumen photographs of Klan members are known to exist, and have been dated to 1867 and 1871--- from writing that appears on the backs of the mounts. We believe the present tintype predates the 1871 image and might well predate the 1867 image
The Klan was formed in Pulaski, Tennessee in 1866 by a group of Confederate veterans. The Klansman depicted here, dressed in black robes with a skull and crossed bones across his chest would certainly strike fear in the hearts of his intended victims as was the general idea. Early Klan robes varied and were designed to look as frightening as possible; they were home-made and could vary widely in design. However when the Klan was reformed in the 1920's, robes were uniformly white, but for any symbols of 'rank' that might appear on the chest.