Three CDVs of Identified Naval Officers, Incl. Benjamin Labree, USS Arkansas

Lot 74

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6270 Este Ave.
Cincinnati , OH 45232
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About Auction

American Historical Ephemera and Photography by Cowan's Auctions

Live

American Historical Ephemera and Photography

By Cowan's Auctions

Nov 19, 2020

Set Reminder 2020-11-19 10:00:00 2020-11-19 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : American Historical Ephemera and Photography https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/cowans/american-historical-ephemera-and-photography-5894 Cowan’s Auctions, a Hindman Company, is pleased to present the November 19 Fall Auction, featuring over 400 lots of historically significant photography, manuscript material, artwork, and other ephemera dating from the 18th through the early 20th century, including the Civil War. Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com

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Lot Description

Lot of three CDVs, two of which bear Brown Water Navy imprints. CDV of Samuel G. Patterson. Wm. Guay: New Orleans, LA, n.d. Ink signed on verso, "Yours Respectfully / S.G. Patterson." Samuel G. Patterson: acting assistant engineer 12/9/63, discharged 8/25/65. No wartime service located.

CDV of William L Holcomb. Uncredited, n.d. Identified in pencil, "Act'g Master W. L. Holcomb/of the [illegible]." William L. Holcomb: acting ensign 10/10/62, acting master 6/16/64, discharged 1/4/66. No record of wartime service found.

CDV of Benjamin Labree (or LaBre), standing with sword. W.W. Washburn: New Orleans, LA, n.d. Ink signed on verso, "Benjamin LaBre / 2nd Asst Engineer / USS Arkansas." Benjamin Labree: acting second assistant engineer 8/31/63, discharged 12/4/65. No particular wartime record of Lebree noted. USS Arkansas was a small screw steamer commissioned into the Navy in June 1863. She was assigned to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron in October and subsequently employed as a dispatch and supply ship to those vessels on blockade duty along the coast of Texas. On September 27, 1863 she took a schooner as prize only to have the seizure rejected as illegal by both the New Orleans Federal District Court and later by the US Supreme Court - an interesting legal aspect of adjudication by prize courts relative to the wartime Navy.

The Richard B. Cohen Civil War Collection

Lots 37, 69-98, 295

Cowan's enthusiastically presents the second installment of collector Richard B. Cohen's matchless archive of Civil War Brown Water Navy photography. Richard was known to many in the field - indeed some of these images may resonate from a bygone transaction or "show and tell' - but to those who knew him best he'll be remembered as a "disciplined collector who maintained a relatively narrow focus having built an important, perhaps unsurpassed collection in his area of specialization." This catalogued portion of the core collection is a seamless continuation of high quality photography highlighted by an array of Brown Water Navy warships in desirable carte-de-visite format. We counted no fewer than 22 different Mississippi River vessels, some battle-weary and familiar, others obscure, but all identified with many named in period ink. Research confirmed that several of these CDVs were signed by an officer who had served aboard the ship conveying the historic connection and spirit of "wooden ships and iron men." The last of the larger format albumen warships are also included - the USS Blackhawk, Eastport, and Louisville. A fine quartet of lots feature sought-after enlisted sailors. We proceed with eight additional lots of multiple identified officer cartes, the myriad of navy rank insignia during the Civil War both complex and instructive. We think it opportune to quote a comment from a previous buyer who emailed that, "...I draw inspiration from their BWN service when known, and when not offering (him) the opportunity to reconstruct an aspect of overlooked Civil War naval history." Now comes the time to further disperse Richard B. Cohen's collection and recycle the photography to the care of the next generation, and in so doing we salute a lifelong endeavor unlikely ever to be duplicated.

Provenence: The Richard B. Cohen Civil War Collection

Condition

Patterson carte washed out, about G. Holcomb CDV slightly light still with good clarity and soft corners, near VG. Lebree image in soft focus otherwise near EXC.
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