Volck, Adalbert John (1828-1912) Cave life in Vicksburg during the siege
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00493.28 Author/Creator: Volck, Adalbert John (1828-1912) Place Written: s.l. Type: Print Date: circa 1880-1890 Pagination: 1 etching : b&w ; 26.2 x 34.7 cm. Order a Copy
Depicts a devout, domestic scene of a woman kneeling in prayer amidst the items associated with middle class daily life-a broom, a trunk, an ottoman, a set of silver, a fine hat atop a settee. Only upon closer inspection does one discern that all of these items of daily life, along with a bed discreetly hidden behind a hanging blanket, are closely packed into a rather small space: a cave. Many citizens of Vicksburg sought shelter in caves during the siege of that city by Federal troops in the spring and summer of 1863. Vicksburg was captured by U.S. forces under General Ulysses S. Grant on 4 July 1863. Size in extent is for the mount. The actual size of the etching is 20.1 x 26.7 cm. Title in pencil on verso.
Adalbert John Volck was a dentist, political cartoonist, and a caricaturist who sympathized with the Southern cause. During the Civil War, Volck supported the Confederacy through his satire political cartoons, smuggling drugs and medical supplies for the Confederate army, and was a personal courier to President Jefferson Davis.
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