American Historical Ephemera & Photography, Featuring Property from the James Milgram, M.D., Collection of Broadsides, Ephemeral Americana & Historical Documents

5 3/4 x 3 in. stereoview on cardstock mount (toning, some soiling to print; some soiling and wear to mount edges and corners). Verso features applied paper label with Anthony's imprint, series title "Prominent Portraits," and image title, "No. 1811. The Prisoner, Miss Pauline Cushman, the Federal Scout and Spy. 

Pauline Cushman (1833-1897) was an aspiring teenage actress when she became involved in espionage on behalf of the Union. Caught with incriminating information, Cushman was sentenced to be executed as a spy and saved only by the timely arrival of Federal troops at her prison in Shelbyville, TN. Lincoln awarded Cushman an honorary major's commission and she engaged in cloak and dagger work until growing notoriety blew her cover. With the benefit of a populist biography, Cushman toured the country speaking about her wartime exploits and profiting from the sale of photographs.