Civil War Archives - The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

May192016 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

A Gallery of Antique Memorial Day Postcards

Ephemera

Antique Memorial Day postcards are among the most evocative piece of vintage ephemera you can collect. With their elegant imagery mixing both patriotism and remembrance of those who died in service of this country, they are almost uniformly somber but almost uplifting at the same time. The postcards on display here mostly date from the first few decades of the 20th century, when the holiday was more often known as Decoration Day. That's due to its roots as a day to decorate the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers. Not coincidentally, these cards are heavy on the Civil War imagery.

Jul162013 by Chris Holmes3 Comments

This 1846 Anti-Slavery Alphabet Is Fantastic

Ephemera, History

I'm currently in the middle of re-watching the excellent Civil War documentary by Ken Burns, so this particular item feels extra significant to me at the moment. It's The Anti-Slavery Alphabet, published for an Anti-Slavery Fair in 1846 and created by Quakers Hannah and Mary Townsend of Philadelphia. The alphabet consists of sixteen leaves, printed on one side, with the printed pages facing each other and hand-sewn into a paper cover. Each of the letter illustrations is hand-colored. The target audience for this book, as you might expect, was children who the Townsends hoped would adopt an Abolitionist point of view. History tells us, of course, that it would take more than 20 years and a bloody Civil War for the Abolitionists' dream to become reality. All images courtesy the Mississ...

Aug232011 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

Game over for Gaddafi?

People

Yeah, I'd say so. The rebels are knocking on his door, and NATO is blowing it off. I wonder if a sequel to Commando Libya is in the works? Whoever takes over from Col. Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, I hope it's easier to agree on a spelling for their name. (image created in part thanks to C64 Yourself) Related articles Gadhafi's son defiant as rebels overrun Tripoli (calgaryherald.com) President Obama Calls for Gadhafi to Relinquish Power (onebluestocking.wordpress.com) No Accounting for Gadhafi and His Billions (abcnews.go.com) NATO says it will continue Libya operations (seattletimes.nwsource.com) life: In 1969, 27-year-old Capt. Muammar Gaddafi overthrew the... (shortformblog.tumblr.com)

Apr122011 by Chris Holmes1 Comment

I don’t need your Civil War…

History

Even if you're not a history freak like I am, you should take some time to acknowledge that today is a pretty big anniversary. Exactly 150 years ago today -- April 12, 1865 for the math-challenged -- that the American Civil War began when forces from the Confederate States of America (CSA) launched an attack on the Federal outpost of Fort Sumter in South Carolina. 34 hours after the battle began Union forces, under the command of Major Robert Anderson, surrendered to Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard's Confederates. Neither side suffered any casualties during the battle, although two Union officers died after a gun explosion during the April 14 surrender ceremony. Following the Union defeat President Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteer soldiers for 90 days, as the scale of the Sout...

Nov112010 by Chris HolmesNo Comments

America the Brave: A Selection of Veterans Day Images

History

This post was originally published on Veterans Day 2008, and has proven to be one of my more popular entries. So I'm bringing it back as my small tribute for this year. Originally known as Armistice Day, the first Veterans Day was celebrated on November 11, 1938 -- the 20th anniversary of the effective end of World War I. Starting in 1954 the scope of the holiday was expanded to commemorate all those who had fought and served for the United States. I don't have any stirring essays in me, so my small tribute to our armed forces is this collection of images portraying the history of major American military conflict. Thank you all for your service! American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) The Battle of Trenton (December 26, 1776) was a turning point in the American Revo...

Mar92008 by Chris Holmes4 Comments

With this ring…

Advertising

The January/February 2008 issue of The History Channel Magazine (yes I subscribe) features some excellent content to commemorate Black History Month - a profile of prominent lawyer and rights activist William Henry Lewis and an expose of so-called sundown towns among them. So imagine my dismay when I saw a full-page ad in the same issue for this: Yeah I know that the reasons for the secession of the Southern states and the Civil War are numerous and complicated, but come on. This really is too much. Without even commenting on the utter tackiness of the ring itself - which I would expect to be worn by someone appearing on an episode of Cops - am I the only one who finds it a tad inappropriate that this thing is being advertised in the same issue of a magazine that shows pictures...