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HISTORIC PAINTING OF THE DREADED CONFEDERATE

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:625.00 USD Estimated At:1,250.00 - 1,750.00 USD
HISTORIC PAINTING OF THE DREADED CONFEDERATE

LIBBY PRISON IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. Frame measures 30" x 24". Sight size of painting is 23 1/2" x 17 1/2". Gilded wood & gesso frame is correct for the period. Painting shows a front & left side view of the infamous Libby Prison used to house Union officers captured by the Confederacy. The painting shows a Confederate flag flying high over the prison. The 3 story brick prison was formally a warehouse located on Tobacco Row near the James River in Richmond, VA. The warehouse became a hospital & prison in 1861 & in 1862 it became an officers only prison. There were 8 rooms measuring 103' x 42' w/ low ceilings. Prisoners were held on the 2nd & 3rd floors of the dank, crowded facility. Signed in the lower left corner. The signature appears to read “R. Russell 99”. The signature would indicate the painting was done in 1899 depicting how the famous prison appeared during the Civil War. The clothing worn by the 2 pedestrians in the center of the painting on the lower edge is indicative of Civil War garb. The infamous building was moved to Chicago in 1889 & displayed at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. CONDITION: frame has a few sm. losses to the gesso. Generally good with some minor inpainting. The artwork presents a clear representation of 1 of the most infamous buildings in American history. The gloomy gray sky combined w/ the muted colors of the building & foreground give the viewer a true sense of foreboding & a view into 1 of the darkest corners of American history. (02-16679/1452). $1,250-1,750.