William Ludwell Sheppard, after W.D. Washington, Pen and Ink Sketch Depicting a Detachment from Floyd's Command at Gauley Bridge, WV

About Auction

Live

American History: Premier Auction

By Cowan's Auctions

Jun 21, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-06-21 10:00:00 2019-06-21 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : American History: Premier Auction https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/cowans/american-history-premier-auction-4173
On June 21, Cowan’s Auctions will be offering a remarkable selection of historic photography, letters, documents, flags, political ephemera, and more representing the Revolutionary War-period through the Civil War, Indian Wars, and beyond, as well as the American West. Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com

View Full Catalog (351)

• Lot Description
  Pen and ink on paper, 9 x 11.5 in. (sight), matted and framed to 15.5 x 18 in. Initialed and inscribed lower left, " W.L.S. / after / W.D. Washington ," with title and various notations above and below sketch border, including pencil inscription, " Detachment from Floyd's Command preparing to / shell Genl Rosecrans Camp at Gauley Bridge (then) Va. / From a picture by W.D. Washington (present with the Detachment) / in the possession of J.F. Gibson Esq Richmond Va ." Published in The American Heritage Century Collection of Civil War Art , Plate 17.
  
  A Richmond native, William Ludwell Sheppard (1833-1912) traveled to New York and Paris to study art before taking up the Confederate cause at the onset of the Civil War. He joined the Richmond Howitzers and reached the rank of engineering officer by the end of his four years of service. From his own unique perspective as a Confederate soldier, Sheppard created rare and important visual representations of the war, including sketches and watercolor paintings, some of which are housed at the Confederate Museum in Richmond. Sheppard was also a talented sculptor, and three of his monuments, including one depicting General A.P. Hill and another memorializing the Richmond Howitzers, are still standing in important locations around Richmond today.
  
  The Century Collection of Civil War Art
  
  Lots 103-114
  
  While the photographic process evolved rapidly from its inception in 1839 and the wet plate process of taking photographs was coming into widespread use by the start of the Civil War, it was a cumbersome process in the field as well as the studio. More significantly, at that time the photographs themselves could not be reproduced as illustrations accompanying written reports of the war.
  
  As a result, publishers of newspapers and other periodicals in major cities, primarily in the North, employed a number of sketch artists who traveled with armies to draw the scenes that they witnessed. These sketches, most frequently pencil on paper with brief identifications of people and places, were then sent back by courier to the periodical publishers. The battlefield sketches received by the publishers were then copied by engraving artists onto wooden blocks, which were used in printing presses to illustrate printed articles covering the war.
  
  Unlike the photographers of the day, who were limited to capturing the aftermath of battles, the sketch artists had the advantage of recording what they were witnessing as the events occurred before their eyes.
  
  In the 1880s, the popular Century Magazine started publishing the narratives of Civil War veterans and retained a large number of sketch artists to illustrate the articles. They used interviews, photographs, and prior war-date sketches to produce accurate pictorial representations of the war. These illustrated accounts were incorporated into a large four-volume work entitled Battles and Leaders of the Civil War in 1881. Almost a century later, in 1973, American Heritage Magazine acquired the collection of drawings that had been held by Century Magazine , which were subsequently reproduced in The American Heritage Century Collection of Civil War Art published in 1974. Christie's conducted two public auctions in 1988, which were comprised of the remaining original Century Magazine Collection of Civil War artwork that was dispersed by American Heritage Magazine , and a number of drawings by noted battlefield artists were acquired by the consignor, with many being offered today.
  
  Provenance: Ex. The Century Collection of Civil War Art; Previously sold by Christie's East, November 30, 1988, Lot 39; consigned by a private collector.

  Condition

  Very light surface soil and extremely minimal spotting to paper, with some smudging to pencil inscription at bottom. Not examined outside of frame.
• Shipping Info

  • Buyers are required to pay for all packing, shipping and insurance charges. Overseas duty charges are the responsibility of the successful Bidder. Be aware that for larger and/or valuable items, shipping charges can be substantial. - If there is no shipping amount on listed your invoice, you will need to make arrangements to pick up or ship your purchase through an alternative shipping company. Our shipping department can be contacted at 513.871.1670 (ext. 219) or email shipping@cowans.com. - Shipping charges include insurance for your order while in transit. If you have private insurance we will adjust your charge to include only packing and shipping. - Please allow 14 – 21 days after payment to package and ship your purchase as carefully as possible.

• Buyer's Premium
  • 28.00 %