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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

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1861/10/31

Kelly, James R., fl. 1861-1862

Autograph letter signed

Title: to Mary Kelly

He is recovering from a blow to the head. A wagon train brought packages, mostly clothes, from home. His packaged contained clothes food, and a doll from his daughter.

GLC04197.03

circa 1860s

Photograph

Title: [Tintype of Mary Kelly]

39. Tintype of Mary Kelly. 1868-1869. ca.

GLC04197.39

circa 1860s

Photograph

Title: [Kelly family photographs, four in one case]

Four family member portraits in a single thermo-plastic case. Tintype of Mary Kelly and tintype of Sissy Kelly. Ambrotype of James Kelly and ambrotype of their son. Case closed dimensions 9.8 x 15.2 cm. Case open dimensions (with images showing) 19.6 x 15.2 cm.

GLC04197.40

1863

Broadside

Title: [Broadside recruiting African Americans for military service]

Color recruitment broadside depicting a Union soldier holding a United States flag with an attached banner declaring "Freedom to the Slave." In the background on one side, African American troops march holding a United States flag bearing the words "U. S. Regt. Colored Troops." On the other side, African Americans walk into a public school. The Union man stands on a Confederate flag, while an enslaved man tears the flag in half. A broken set of shackles lay in the foreground. On verso, a printed statement declares "All SLAVES were made FREEMEN BY ABRAHAM LINCOLN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED…

GLC04198

1860

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

Photograph

Title: Browntone silverprint of beardless Lincoln, by Hesler, 1860

GLC04199

1858/05/30

Broadside

Title: Billy Bowlegs and the Florida War.

Illustrated supplement to The Picayune newspaper. Describes its contents as a "faithful portrait of Billy Bowlegs, the last King of the Everglades." Explains activities in the Seminole Wars since 1835 and dubs Bowlegs a "keen, cunning and determined warrior." Illustrated with an engraving by Stevens Engraving, made from a photograph by J.H. Clark, which depicts the Seminole Indian chief holding a rifle.

GLC04201

1853

United States. Army. Corps of Topographical Engineers

Book

Title: Report of an expedition down the Zuni and Colorado Rivers

By Captain Lorenzo Sitgreaves of the Corps of Topographical Engineers. Senate Executive Doc. 59 printed by Robert Armstrong, public printer. An important contribution to the knowledge of Arizona topography, Indian ethnology, and fauna of the desert southwest, especially Arizona. Contains a report on natural history and a medical report by S.W. Woodhouse; a report on reptiles by E. Hallowell; a report on fishes by S.F. Baird and Charles Girard; and a report on botany by John Torrey. With 78 plates (1 folding), some tinted, and large folding map. Large folding map: "Reconnaissance of the…

GLC04154

1828

Livingston, Edward, 1764-1836

Book

Title: A system of penal law for the United States of America ...

Title continues, "consisting of a Code of crimes and punishments; a Code of procedure in criminal cases; a Code of prison discipline; and a Book of definitions. Prepared and presented to the House of Representatives of the United States, by Edward Livingston." Printed by Gales & Seaton, Washington. Printed by order of the House of Representatives. First edition. Important legal work for the development of penal reform. Each section is paginated separately.

GLC04165

1865

Brady, Mathew B., 1823-1896

Photograph

Title: Sherman and his Generals

One image entitled, "Sherman and his Generals," taken by Mathew Brady dated 1865. Image is of General Sherman and his generals taken shortly after the end of the war. The label beneath the image identifies the men and their ranks. They are from left to right: Oliver O. Howard, John A. Logan, William B. Hazen, William T. Sherman, Jefferson C. Davis, Henry W. Slocum, Joseph A. Mower, and Francis P. Blair, Jr.

GLC04172

1864

Bacon & Company (San Francisco, Calif.)

Map

Title: Bacon's Large Print War Map Showing 50 Miles round Washington and Richmond

Shows major towns, waterways, and railroads. Concentric circles with intervals of ten miles each surround both Washington and Richmond. A red line shows General Ulysses S. Grant's route from Fredericksburg to Petersburg, Virginia, and a blue line shows General Robert E. Lee's movements. Crossed swords along the routes indicate battle sites.

GLC04175

1856

Kendall, George W., fl. 1844-1856

Book

Title: Narrative of the Texan Santa Fe expedition....

Fuller title: "Narrative of the Texan Santa Fe Expedition, comprising a description of a tour through Texas, and across the great southwestern prairies, the Camanche and Caygua hunting-grounds, with an account of the sufferings from want of food, losses from hostile Indians, and final capture of the Texans, and their march, as prisoners, to the city of Mexico. With illustrations and a map."

GLC04153

1855

Linforth, James, 1927-1899

Book

Title: Route from Liverpool to Great Salt Lake Valley : illustrated with steel engravings and wood cuts from sketches made by Frederick Piercy.

Title continues: "together with a geographical and historical description of Utah, and a map of the overland routes to that territory from the Missouri River : also an authentic history of the Latter-Day Saints' emigration from Europe from the commencement up to the close of 1855, with statistics." Edited by Linforth. Published as a monument to Mormon emigration and as a means of attracting further emigrants.

GLC04155

1858

Möllhausen, Balduin, 1825-1905

Header Record

Title: Diary of a journey from the Mississippi to the coasts of the Pacific with a United States government expedition

Introduction by Alexander von Humboldt. Published by Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts. First English edition. Inscribed to Master R. Dymoke as "2nd Prise for School work. Woodbourne House. Christmas 1861." Describes western territories and Indians while accompanying Lieutenant Whipple's Expedition. With nineteen plates (seven chromolithographs) and a folding map.

GLC04156

1864

Campbell, J.L., fl. 1864

Book

Title: Idaho. Six months in the new gold diggings. The emigrant's guide overland

Cover title reads "Idaho. Six months in the new gold regions. The emigrant's guide." Title page subtitle reads "Itinerary of the routes, features of the country, journal of residence, etc., etc." and "New York: Published by J.L. Campbell. 1864." With frontispiece map and original color pictorial cover. Pages 53-62 are advertisements.

GLC04157

1863/05/23

Winn, Charles A., fl. 1863

Map signed

Title: [Battle of Gum Swamp]

Shows the Confederate and Union lines, the locations of a Massachusetts brigade attack and other skirmishes, and the arrangement of fields, woods, roads, and fences. Captain Winn, of Company G in the 58th Pennsylvania Infantry, commanded the skirmish line at the battle of Gum Swamp. Date inferred from the date of the skirmish, 22 May 1863.

GLC04158

1798

Book

Title: An Act to provide for the valuation of lands and dwelling houses,... [taxation]

Also printed with "An Act to lay and collect a direct tax within the United States." Apparently first (unrecorded) Virginia printing.

GLC04159

1802

Caines, George, fl. 1802

Book

Title: An Enquiry into the law merchant of the United States...

First American treatise on commercial law. Vol. 1 was the only one published. First edition. American Imprints 1978, Marvin p. 169. Spine title: Lex Mercatoria. Dedicated to Jefferson. Signed on titlepage " Jona. D. Weston."

GLC04160

March 1842

King, Samuel Ward, 1786-1851

Broadside

Title: [A proclamation by Samuel Ward King]

Contains a brief introduction by King as Governor, Captain-General and Commander-in-Chief of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Includes a reprinted letter by President John Tyler stating that he cannot get involved (by raising a militia) with rising tensions in Rhode Island unless there is an actual insurrection. Also includes a reprinted letter from John Whipple discussing the People's Constitution (Dorr's constitution) and the "legal constitution" of Rhode Island.

GLC04161

1834

Dorr, Thomas Wilson, 1805-1854

Pamphlet signed

Title: [An address to the people of Rhode Island...]

Title continues: "from the Convention assembled at Providence, on the 22d day of February, and again on the 12th day of March, 1834, to promote the establishment of a State Constitution." First and only edition, printed by Cranston & Hammond, with manuscript corrections in Dorr's hand. Inscribed to by Dorr to Reverend C. W. Upham.

GLC04162

1682

Grotius, Hugo, fl. 1682

Book

Title: The Most excellent Hugo Grotius...his three books treating the rights of war...

GLC04163

1789

Kirby, Ephraim, ?-1804

Book

Title: Reports of cases adjudged in the Superior Court of the state of Connecticut..

First published law reports for Connecticut and the second for the United States. The preface demonstrates the importance of a reporting system to the development of American law. References: Evans 21914, Wallace, "Reports" p. 751.

GLC04164