Civil War Troops Bunking at the Patent Office

You are viewing an original 1861 Civil War illustration showing Union troops being housed at, of all places, the US patent office.  It is from an 1861 edition of Harper's Weekly, the most popular illustrated newspaper of the day.  Note that this is not a reprint, and I absolutely guarantee its authenticity.  This leaf is over 140 years old, and the date is clearly marked on the front of the print. On the day this leaf was printed, Abraham Lincoln was president of the United States, and The Civil War was in its opening chapter.

The illustration shows the interior of the US patent office as it looked in 1861. The room is filled with soldiers sleeping in bunks.  Springfield rifles are shown neatly mounted on the ends of each bunk.  The illustration is captioned, "Sleeping Bunks of the First Rhode Island Regiment, at the Patent Office, Washington". Making this an even more interesting and historical piece, surrounding the illustration is a story entitled, "Our Army at Washington".  This is a fascinating story which describes the Rhode Island Soldiers "bunking" at he patent office, as well as the Sixty-Ninth Irish Regiment staying at Georgetown University. 

The lower illustration is captioned, "Quarters of the Sixty-Ninth Irish Regiment New York State Militia at Georgetown College.  It shows soldiers in a courtyard outside a building.  I wonder if this building is still standing at Georgetown.

This is a fascinating leaf, and would be of particular interest to anyone associated with either the patent office, or Georgetown University.

Unlike newsprint of this century, these older, original pages do not yellow and fall apart.  The reason is that modern newspapers use an acid based process.   Remnant acid in the paper causes the paper to quickly yellow and deteriorate.   A different process was used in the mid-1800's which yielded an exceptional quality paper that will last for centuries. Special acid free mats should be used when you frame this piece to ensure that it will last another 150 years.  Acid free mats are available at most better frame shops.  If you have any questions related to handling or framing this piece feel free to email me. The print is approximately 10 3/4 X 16 inches.  I have been collecting Civil War Newspapers for over 10 years.  It is a fascinating hobby, and I find that these pieces really get noticed when framed and displayed.

The leaf is in excellent condition. It has the rich sepia tone that you expect in original material from this period.  It has finger smudges in the margins from folks handling it over the last 130 years, and there are some light spots of foxing.  It is highly displayable, and I guarantee your satisfaction! 

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