Description

Stereotypical depiction of two slaves celebrating the fact that they have been declared contraband. The words D. Murphy's Son, Print. 65 Fulton and 372 Pearl Street, N.Y.\ appear to the left of the image. The image is a reference to General Benjamin Butler's \contraband\ policy, by which escaping slaves reaching Union lines would not be returned to slavery. Butler, a trained attorney, used Virginia's secession to argue that under international law that escaped slaves were \contraband of war\ and he was not required to return them to their former owners.\Illustrated Civil War envelopes with patriotic symbols, slogans and cartoons, mostly Northern, including a few Southern ones.

Record Contributed By

Georgetown University Library

Record Harvested From

District Digital