|
||
|
|
|
|
The earliest obtainable graphical representations of Lincoln's emancipation of the slaves, published by Waeschle in Philadelphia.
As noted by Holzer, et. al., in The Emancipation Proclamation: Three Views (social, political iconogrpahic) . . .the authors note,
To either . . . Currier and Ives . . . or the virtually unknown Philadelphia frim of J. Waeshle, belongs the "credit" for first imagining the ritualized unshackling that Lincoln failed to provide. One of these firms--it is unclear which--touched off what soon became an industry in emancipation graphics and, later, in public statuary. . . .
The most persuasive cle about which publisher first thought of the design can be foundin their respective subtitles. Currier and Ives called thir print Freedom to the Slaves. Proclaimed January 1st 1863 . . . Waeschle's picture, on the othe hand, celebrated not the final 1863 proclamation but the preliminary version issued one hundred days earlier . . .
It is not unreasonable to conclude form this small hint that, in this singular case, the fabulously successful and always news-conscious New York lithography firm may have "borrowed" one of its most important emancipation images from an obscrue Chicago rival.
In addition likely being the first representation of Lincoln's freeing the slaves, as noted above, Waeshle's view is nearly doube the size of the Currier & Ives image.
![[United States East of Chicago.]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/100016.jpg)
