National Association of Army Nurses of the Civil War: 1861-1865. [Boston, Massachusetts]: G. Chickering & Co., 1904. Title and photographer's imprint to lower edge. With later note inscribed, "First Picture taken at the Buleinch Gate During the G.A.R. National Encampment 1904." On original cardstock mount and presented in antique frame. Sight 19 1/2 x 15 1/2 in., overall 25 1/2 x 21 1/2 in. 

A fine group photograph of veteran nurses who served during the Civil War at the GAR National Encampment of 1904, held in Boston, Massachusetts. Interestingly, thanks to contemporary reporting on the event (The Boston Globe, 19 August 1904), we are able to identify several of the women including Anna Bell Stubbs, Sallie Myers Stewart, and Susie King Taylor, who is considered the first Black nurse of the Civil War. 

Anna Bell Stubbs (1839-1916) served for several years as a regular nurse at various locations including Harpers Ferry, Acquia Creek, 12th Corps Hospital, and Nashville, caring for soldiers wounded at Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, and Nashville. A known CDV portrait of Stubbs by Morse captures her at work at No. 1 Nashville Hospital. 

Salome "Sallie" Myers Stewart (1842-1922) was living in Gettysburg and working as a teacher during the war. During the infamous battle, she volunteered as a nurse, tending to the wounded at various makeshift hospitals including her father's house.

Susie King Taylor (1848-1912) was a member of the Gullah people and was born into enslavement on the Isle of Wight in coastal Georgia. After moving to Savannah, she was secretly educated by two free women of color, Mrs. Woodhouse and Mrs. Mathilda Beasley. 

In 1862, Taylor was sent back to the plantation, but shortly after, the Battle of Fort Pulaski provided an opportunity for her and her family to escape to Union lines. When her ability to read and write was discovered, she was tasked with creating a school for children on St. Simon's Island. At just 13, she founded the first free African American school for children and became the first Black woman to teach at a free school in Georgia.  

In August, the 1st South Carolina Volunteers (later the 33rd United States Colored Troops) were organized from the newly emancipated Black men by abolitionist General David Hunter. Taylor moved with them to Beaufort, South Carolina, and was employed as a laundress, though it is clear that her duties were far broader and included packing cartridge boxes and engaging in picket duty. Most notably, she served as a nurse for the regiment.

During Reconstruction, Taylor continued to open schools, became a civil rights advocate, and was an active member of the Women's Relief Corps (WRC) in Boston. It was with the WRC that she was a part of the planning committee for the organization's 1904 convention. The Boston Globe reported on the preparations on 31 July 1904, including a photo of the committee (also by Chickering) that includes Taylor in the front row. 

A great reunion photograph featuring Susie King Taylor and other notable nurses. 

Note: This lot cannot be packaged and shipped in-house. Successful bidders winning items marked as being packaged and shipped by a third-party service are responsible for paying the third party directly. We are happy to offer complimentary drop-off service to local third-party packing/shipping companies in Columbus, Ohio.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [African Americana, African American History, Black History, Slavery, Enslavement, Abolition, Emancipation] [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] [Veterans, Veterans’ Organizations, Fraternal Organizations] [GAR, Grand Army of the Republic]