Apr 12, 2018 - Sale 2473

Sale 2473 - Lot 201

Price Realized: $ 4,250
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 1,000 - $ 1,500
(SOUTH CAROLINA.) Group of large photographs of South Carolina's Sea Islands during the war era. 4 albumen photographs, each about 10 x 13 inches, 3 cropped to ovals, all unmounted, period captions in pencil on verso; various wear and wrinkling, one with 1-inch hole in blank area, the untrimmed one missing part of a corner and with a full-length repaired closed tear. South Carolina, circa 1863-64?

Additional Details

The Sea Islands of South Carolina had an interesting history during the Civil War. They were among the first Confederate territories occupied by Union troops in 1861, and the freed slaves who remained were permitted an unusual degree of autonomy under what was called the Port Royal Experiment. These 4 views show this area near the coastal southern tip of South Carolina--whether before or during the Union occupation, we cannot say for certain.
Two of the views seem to depict the same plantation: "Sea Island Plantation . . . cotton barn, Negro quarters &c." and "Sea Island Plantation, looking south, Hilt Head SC." They show plantation buildings on Hilton Head, with African-American workers carrying cotton bales on their heads, under the observation of what appear to be white overseers.
The untrimmed photograph is captioned "The Jenkins Plantation residence, pleasure gardens, St. Helena Island SC." Several occupants can be seen on the balcony: white faces on the second floor, and darker faces on the ground floor. The gazebo matches the one in a Library of Congress photo which identifies the owner as Dr. William Jenkins.
The final photograph can be more readily dated to the period of Union occupation: "Topographical Engineers office, Maj. Suter's residence & view on the beach, Port Royal SC." It shows a block of buildings along the beach; the flag atop the flagpole is blurred from the wind, but appears to be the Stars and Stripes. Charles Russell Suter commanded the engineering operations at Port Royal and Hilton Head (site of a massive winter encampment of Union troops) from December 1863 to March 1864, though he was a lieutenant rather than a major at the time.