Young Africa, Or the Bone of Contention. Vignetted bust albumen studio portrait. New York: E & H.T Anthony, 1862. Title and copyright to mount verso. Publisher’s illustrated imprint to mount recto.

“Young Africa, Or the Bone of Contention” is a view of an African child, presumably a slave. In a checkered frock, the child looks slightly stunned or in wonderment while regarding the photographer. Copyrighted by Edward Anthony (1818 - 1888) in 1862, the image was intended as a commentary on slavery, the main "bone of contention" leading to the Civil War.

Furthering the point, the image has a counterpart: “Young America”, which showcases a white child of similar age. Both prints were later included in an album containing mostly Civil War-era portraits, which were taken by the famous photographer Matthew Brady (1823 - 1896). This album was compiled and gifted to Emperor Pedro II of Brazil (1825 - 1891), a collector of photography and a photographer himself. The emperor may have received this gift during a trip to the United States in 1876, when he and President Ulysses S. Grant attended the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Many such images made an appearance at this exposition, representing the difficult years during the Civil War. 

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [African Americana, African American History, Black History, Slavery, Enslavement, Abolition, Emancipation]  [Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs][Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Photography, Early Photography, Historic Photography, Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, Tintypes, Cased Images, Union Cases, Albumen Photographs, CDVs, Carte de Visites, Cartes de Visite, Carte-de-visite, Cartes-de-visite, CDV, Cabinet Cards, Stereoviews, Stereocards]