May 07, 2020 - Sale 2534

Sale 2534 - Lot 325

Price Realized: $ 219
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 200 - $ 300
(MILITARY--CIVIL WAR.) Lantern slide depicting the charge of the 54th Massachusetts at the Battle of Fort Wagner. Hand-colored print on glass, 3 inches round, in wooden frame, 4 x 7 inches, with printed paper label on bottom edge; image clean and clear, minimal staining to wood. New York: T.H. McAllister, circa 1880s

Additional Details

Magic lantern slides like this were used in historical lectures and travelling shows in the 1870s and 1880s. The source image for this example was the 1867 Johnson, Fry & Co. engraving after a painting by Thomas Nast, titled "Attack on Fort Wagner." It illustrates the storming of the fort by the famed 54th Massachusetts Infantry, which was the dramatic conclusion of the film Glory.