Collage of historical images and cartoons of the American Civil War

Visual Culture of the American Civil WarA Special Feature of Picturing US History

Freedom to the Slaves

Following Abraham Lincoln's assassination, the print market was inundated with commemorative prints extolling Emancipation. Currier & Ives, the most prolific of the nation's print firms, was among the first to portray the fallen president in the act of emancipating enslaved African Americans. This allegorical scene, highlighting the benevolence of the "Great Emancipator" and the gratitude of the slave, was reproduced and disseminated in different versions by many publishers to a public still reeling from Lincoln's death.Following Abraham Lincoln's assassination, the print market was inundated with commemorative prints extolling Emancipation. Currier & Ives, the most prolific of the nation's print firms, was among the first to portray the fallen president in the act of emancipating enslaved African Americans. This allegorical scene, highlighting the benevolence of the "Great Emancipator" and the gratitude of the slave, was reproduced and disseminated in different versions by many publishers to a public still reeling from Lincoln's death.

Source: Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

Publisher: New York: Currier & Ives

Date: c. 1865