American Historical Ephemera and Photography

Archive comprised of material from two generations of the McCook family and two different military officers, Major General Alexander McDowell McCook, and his son-in-law Brigadier General Chauncey Brooke Baker (1860-1936). Baker was married to McCook's oldest daughter, Lucianna "Lucy" McCook Baker. Lot comprised of one photo album, two scrapbooks, 17 scrapbook leaves measuring approx. 12 1/2 x 15 1/2 in. each with correspondence or other document adhered to the page, a small number of loose documents, and newspaper clippings.

Photo album containing approx. 290 images depicting Cuba under Spanish occupation and the United States Military Government occupation, ranging in size from 7 1/2 x 9 in. to 3 1/4 x 2 1/4 in., 46pp, approx. 11 x 12 in., inscribed on front free endpaper "Lucy McCook. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Nov 21st 1888" (heavy wear to album, spine deteriorated, cover and most leaves detached, leaves with wear especially at edges, images toned). Photographs, ca 1898-1902, depict a mixture of rural and urban scenes, native Cubans as well as Americans, Cuban and American military personnel, landmarks, military installations, ships, recreation, building interiors, and remnants of war. Notable are three large format photographs: a photograph of armed soldiers and a religious figure exiting a fortress-like structure, with handwritten caption below "On the way to the Garote Castillo del Principe - during the Spanish occupation"; a photograph showing a large group of men assembled at tables and chairs in a gallery-style room with handwritten caption "Opening of the Cuban Constitutional Convention - Havana - Nov. 5th 1900 General Leonard Wood Military Governor, reading address, in full uniform Temporary President on his left"; and a photograph of Havana's large cathedral with a crowd gathered captioned "Governor General Weyler entering Cathedral Havana Spanish Occupation." Captions were likely added by Lucy McCook whose husband was serving at the time as quartermaster, chief quartermaster, and depot quartermaster in the U.S. Army's Division and Department of Cuba.

[With:] Scrapbook with cloth-covered paper boards, approx. 12 leaves utilized (large group of uncounted leaves adhered together), 10 1/2 x 12 in., inscribed on front free endpaper "Lucy McCook Baker / Los Angeles - California / April 1892." Contains mostly newspaper clippings associated with the army, references to the McCook or Baker families, and other miscellaneous such as recipes, etc. -- Scrapbook with green boards and string tie closure, approx. 9 leaves utilized, approx. 12 1/4 x 13 in., containing primarily post-1900 ephemera associated with Chauncey Baker's military service, and family items such as a MOLLUS "In Memoriam" for Alexander McDowell McCook. -- Loose scrapbook leaves containing miscellaneous correspondence primarily associated with the career and business dealings of Alexander M. McCook. Letters are from a variety of correspondents, and reflect McCook's post-war military career at frontier installations, his involvement in the railroads, investments, and other personal matters. -- Four loose documents/letters. - An envelope of newspaper clippings.

Union Army General Alexander McDowell McCook, one of the "Fighting McCooks," continued his army career after the war in the regular army. He commanded Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, from 1886-1890, the Department of Arizona from 1890-1893, and the Department of Colorado from 1893-1895. He was joined there by his daughter and son-in-law. Chauncey Brooke Baker married Lucy McCook while at Leavenworth, and later served as McCook's aide-de-camp and acting engineering officer at Los Angeles and Denver, Headquarters Department of Arizona and Colorado. Later promotions and the start of the Spanish-American War, saw Baker move to Cuba acting in a quartermaster role. It seems his wife accompanied him there, and began acquiring the images now housed in the photograph album offered here. Lucy Baker died in 1923, placing the scrapbooks completion date before that time.