Civil War Pictorial Envelope,
Scope and Content
The Civil War Pictorial Envelope is a paper envelope with a hand-painted lithograph on one side depicting Union soldiers on horseback fending off Confederate soldiers on foot. Drawn swords and muskets appear in the illustration. The envelope was published by Charles Magnus of New York and has his name and the location of his business on the bottom left corner.
Dates
- Creation: c.1861-1865
Access Restrictions
Collection is open to research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from the Civil War Pictorial Envelope must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Biographical Information
Charles Magnus was born in 1826 and emigrated from Elberfeld, Germany to the United States around 1848. Magnus worked in New York from 1850 to 1899 as a publisher, artist, and map dealer, among other print-related occupations. He utilized lithography and hand-coloring in his work. During the Civil War, he published approximately 700 pictorial envelopes. Civil War envelopes began appearing before the war due to increasing sectional tensions and were published until shortly before the cessation of hostilities. Commonly depicted scenes on Magnus's envelopes included: battlefields, American eagles, and the star-spangled banner. Charles Magnus died in 1900.
Much information was gleaned from the Winterthur Library's finding aid for the Charles Magnus Collection.
Full Extent
0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Civil War period envelope with lithograph of Union soldiers on horseback fending off Confederate soldiers on foot. Published by Charles Magnus of New York.
Acquisition Information
The Civil War Pictorial Envelope was purchased by Special Collections in 1991.
General Physical Description note
1 container; 0.1 cu. ft.
Processing Information
The processing and description of the Civil War Pictorial Envelope occurred in November 2008
- Title
- A Guide to the Civil War Pictorial Envelope, c. 1861-1865
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Emily Cook
- Date
- © 2008 By Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All rights reserved.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Description is in English
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu