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THBMillie-Christine, "The Two Headed Nightingale," Early Photography, Ca1860s-1870s
About Seller
6270 Este Ave.
Cincinnati , OH 45232
United States
With offices in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Denver, Cowan’s holds over 40 auctions each year, with annual sales exceeding $16M. We reach buyers around the globe, and take pride in our reputation for integrity, customer service and great results. A full-service house, Cowan’s Auctions specializes in Am...Read more
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About Auction
LiveJun 26, 2020
Cowan's Auctions is delighted to present the June 26 American Historical Ephemera and Photography Auction, including 55 lots devoted to the African American experience, over 175 lots dating from the Civil War Era, and more than 60 lots documenting life in the American West. Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
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- Lot Description
Millie-Christine, "The Two Headed Nightingale," Early Photography, Ca1860s-1870s
Lot of 5 CDVs of Millie and Christine McKoy/McCoy (1851-1912), conjoined twins who were known by the stage names "The Carolina Twins," "The Two-Headed Nightingale," and "The Eighth Wonder of the World."
Born into slavery on a plantation in southeastern North Carolina, they were sold several times while children and abducted twice, by people looking to exploit them. Eventually they came to be owned by Joseph Smith who toured the sisters through the United States, Canada, and Europe. They were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation and continued to tour internationally, including in the United Kingdom where several of the CDVs included here were captured. The talented singers were successful enough to purchase the property where they were born and build a grand home where they lived until their death. In early October 1912, Millie died after contracting tuberculosis. Christine was unable to be safely separated and died the next day. Though they had separate personalities, they were often referred to with one name, "Millie-Christine" and are themselves quoted as saying, "Although we speak of ourselves in the plural, we feel as but one person."
CDV of the sisters standing near a guitar and flower arrangements. H.L. Germons, Temple of Art: Philadelphia, PA, n.d., ca 1870s.
CDV of the women wearing elegant dresses with white lace and matching flowers in their hair. Louis Bertin (b. ca 1827): Brighton [United Kingdom], n.d., ca 1870s. Bertin, a French-born photographer operated his studio in Brighton from 1874-1886 and photographed Millie and Christine more than once. The women visited the seaside town several times in the 1870s, performing at the Royal Pavilion, reportedly with the Brothers Magri, and at the Aquarium.
CDV full-length studio portrait with the sisters wearing a vertically striped dress and fashionable boots. Horace Ollivier: New York, NY, n.d., ca 1881. The verso bears brief biographical information with a 5-stanza poem marveling in their existence.
CDV in a studio setting with the ladies wearing a patterned dress with lace collars, captioned "Millie Christine." Brown, Barnes & Bell: Liverpool, England, n.d., ca 1882.
CDV of the sisters in fashionable attire, holding a fan and a small nosegay in front of a painted backdrop. Charles Eisenmann: New York, NY, n.d., ca 1890s. Eisenmann (1855-1927) was well known for photographing "human oddities." Card mark is similar to that of cabinet cards from Eisenmann dated to the late 1890s and 1900. Inscribed "Millie-Christine" in pencil to verso.Some light soiling to some card mounts, occasional spotting mostly to versos.Condition
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