Envelopes

[18thVirginia]

Here another "girl I left behind" kind of envelope, this one produced in Cincinnati.

Soldier's Farewell

Upon the hill he turned, to take a last fond look,
At the valley, and the village church and the cottage by the brook.
Beside that cottage porch, a girl was on her knees'
She held aloft a snowy scarf, which fluttered in the breeze.
She breathed a prayer for him--a prayer he could not hear,
But he paused to bless her as she knelt, and wiped away a tear.

 

[18thVirginia]

Some additional envelopes that feature African Americans, like those pointed out by @ForeverFree. Steven Boyd comments that envelopes were equivalent to the social media of the day, which to me makes these interesting as contemporary commentary on the War.

 

[18thVirginia]

 

[18thVirginia]

Some have a decided "social media" slant.

 

[18thVirginia]

There were albums created to collect the envelopes and some of them seem to have been more a combination of social media type buzz and collectables than something to be mailed.

 

[18thVirginia]

Envelope from Arkansas.

 

[18thVirginia]

This one from Magee printers is very sweet.

Give the Wreath to the
brave,
Who their Country would
save.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Gee whiz, there is more political commentary on these envelopes than we see most places! It's as if people felt so strongly on the war there was a need to advertise it any chance offered- even envelopes. You do cringe a little though, black America is simply never allowed unimpeded speech.

 

[Copperhead-mi]

 

[Copperhead-mi]

 

[Copperhead-mi]

 

[Copperhead-mi]

 

[18thVirginia]

Gee whiz, there is more political commentary on these envelopes than we see most places! It's as if people felt so strongly on the war there was a need to advertise it any chance offered- even envelopes. You do cringe a little though, black America is simply never allowed unimpeded speech.

I was surprised at the amount of commentary--it really is like social media. Some are more restrained or less cartoonish, but still social commentary. Like these two.

 

[18thVirginia]

Thanks for the additional envelopes, Copperhead-mi. I find this look at the attitudes surrounding the War fascinating.

 

[18thVirginia]

Some were commentary which linked to the Founders.

 

[18thVirginia]

This one is for JPK Huson, who has documented the existence of vivianderes with numerous photos, so that it's easy to recognize the woman on the envelope as a viviandere even if the LoC curators don't say that.

 

[18thVirginia]

Nurses and drummer boys were recognized, at least by the printers.

 

[18thVirginia]

And Engineers.

 

[18thVirginia]

A Confederate envelope.

 

[18thVirginia]

Not specifically a Confederate envelope, but Tredegar Iron Works gets mentioned so often and this is of the Civil War era, that it seemed interesting to include it.