Beschreibung:

Chromolithograph, 12.75 x 15.5 in., titled in the margin, Come And Join Us Brothers, published by the Supervisory Committee for Recruiting Colored Regiments, Philadelphia, lithography credit at lower right to P.S. Duval & Son, Philadelphia. The scene shows 18 uniformed African-American troops, a drummer boy, and a white officer posed in front of a Sibley tent and American flag. The "Photo Sleuth" feature in the Autumn 2015 issue of Military Images pertains to the source photograph for this print and contains a reproduction of the image, which was actually taken indoors. Besides the background and drummer boy, the print is a faithful portrayal. The well-researched piece suggests that the regiment is probably the 25th USCT at Camp William Penn in Philadelphia, ca late 1863 to March 1864, and the officer may be George Edwin Heath (1834-1905), who was post adjutant of the camp and a lieutenant in the 6th USCT. Variations of this print, usually with different titles, are held at the Library of Congress and Smithsonian, but they rarely come up for auction. The most recent example sold at Heritage in December 2014 for a staggering $22,500. Provenance: Property of N. Flayderman & Co. Condition: Light to moderate toning, mostly even. Colors remain rich, vibrant. Some scuffing along margins, few short tears along margins. Lower left corner creased. Small imperfection/short tear that extends through Union officer's sword (just below the handle) through the hand of the soldier to the right of him, which was previously repaired with Scotch tape on reverse side. Few other short tears along margins have been repaired on reverse side with Scotch tape. Few light surface spots/smudges.