Sale 1250
| Cincinnati
| Cincinnati
Estimate$800 – $1,200
Shoulder-length portrait of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Jackson, TN: A.B. Langford, ca 1860s. 2 1/8 x 3 3/8 in. CDV on cardstock mount (toning, some fading to print). Forrest was a self-made and innovative cavalry and military leader in the Confederate Army. He first enlisted as a private in Tennessee, and he ended the war with the rank of lieutenant general. This is an interesting example of Forrest's portrait bearing the backmark of a Jackson, TN, photographer.
[With:] Partial bond for the Selma, Marion and Memphis Railroad Company signed by Forrest as railroad president, ("N.B. Forrest"). Issued 18 March 1870. Verso signed by the Governor of Alabama William Hugh Smith (1826-1899) ("W.H. Smith"), alongside a portion of a large red seal. 7 x 4 in., matted and framed together with the CDV of Forrest, 16 1/2 x 10 in. overall (CDV and partial bond unexamined outside frame).
Prior to the Civil War, Forrest had amassed his wealth through slave trading and from the profits of his cotton plantation worked by the enslaved. In an effort to rebuild his fortune after the conflict, he entered the railroad business. As president, however, the company went bankrupt in part due to speculative investments in railroads, which led to the Panic of 1873.
Together, 2 items identified to Nathan Bedford Forrest.
To request further details about this lot, please email historicalephemera@hindmanauctions.com

Katie Horstman
VP, Head of Department, American Historical Ephemera and Early Photography
Ms. Horstman has spent over a decade specializing in historic photography and Americana at auction. During her tenure, she has overseen several notable single owner auctions, including property from the inventory of celebrated Americana and antique arms expert Norm Flayderman. During her time with the firm, she has maintained an active membership in the Daguerreian Society. Ms. Horstman holds an MA in Art History from the University of Cincinnati and a BA in Art History from The Ohio State University.