THE FIRST OF MAY 1865 OR GENL MOVING DAY IN RICHMOND VA.
New York: Published by H. & W. Voight. Lith. by Kimmel & Forster, 254 & 256 Canal St. [1865]. Broadside illustration, 8-3/4" x 10"; mounted on 9-3/4" x 12" stiff backing. Short closed tear at top blank margin, lower blank forecorner chipped [corrected with the backing]. Good+.
"From building inscribed, 'To let Apply Lincoln & Co.', Southerners, at whom Negro thumbs his nose, are moving 'C.S.A. Treasury,' etc." [Weitenkampf]. Anticipating the end of the Civil War in Richmond, the cartoon depicts Robert E. Lee collecting swords for placement in a cart drawn by two skeletal dogs, Treasury Secretary Trenholm hauling away worthless Confederate bonds, and a "Sheriff Sale" sign on the building. Bystanders look on. A dog urinates on a box entitled "C.S.A. Treasury. Waster Paper."
Despite the title's date, the cartoon issued before May 1, that date being the artist's prediction of the time of the Confederacy's collapse. The reference to Lincoln & Co. suggests the President was still alive.
Weitenkampf 148 [recording a 1905 reproduction only]. Not in Reilly. OCLC 191119865 [3- Clements, U VA, Williams] as of July 2021. Also located at the Library of Congress, Boston Public Library, Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection. Item #37670
Price: $1,500.00