(PHOTOGRAPHY.) Essie Collins Matthews. Aunt Phebe, Uncle Tom and Others. Dozens of photographic illustrations. in the text. 140 pages. 8vo, publisher's gilt cloth, minor wear, light spotting; minimal dampstaining, clipping of book review on flyleaf; inscribed on front free endpaper "Marian Remington, 1915, presented by the author." Columbus, OH, 1915
A collection of short biographies of formerly enslaved people, compiled by a white woman from Columbus, OH with strong Southern sympathies. The book is "illustrated from photographs made by the author in the cabins and on the plantations." The foreword summarizes her editorial viewpoint: "Thousands of negroes, though slaves no longer, lingered with their former masters, working for them and sharing their misfortunes. The freedom the war had brought to them was not of their seeking. . . . They chose to stay with those whom they had come to know as friends and protectors. They stayed and served with fidelity . . . and in turn were treated with the kindness, affection and justice that are characteristic of the Southern people." Although the book is essentially Confederate Lost Cause propaganda, and the narrative is heavily skewed toward nostalgia, the portraits and biographies may still have some historical value. None at auction since 2005.
