American Historical Ephemera and Early Photography

CDV on cardstock mount, standing portrait of William Walker, physician, lawyer, journalist, and mercenary who organized unauthorized military expeditions into Mexico and Central America with the intention of establishing colonies. Gurney & Son's studio imprint on mount recto and verso.

In the 1850s, Nicaragua served as a major thoroughfare for US shipping between the east and west coasts as the transcontinental railroads were not yet a reality. Ships would sail up the San Juan River from the Atlantic, cross Lake Nicaragua, then take stagecoaches at Rivas to the Pacific coast. In 1854, a civil war broke out in Nicaragua between the Legitimist (Conservative) Party based in Granada and the Democratic (Liberal) Party based in Léon. American William Walker, motivated by economic control of the shipping route as well as the concept of American "manifest destiny", contracted with the Democratic president Francisco Castellón to bring a group of "colonists" who were in reality mercenaries. Walker's expeditionary force defeated the Legitimist army. On 13 October 1855, he had conquered Granada and took effective control over the government, ruling as a shadow president through provision President Patricio Rivas. It is unclear how many became "colonists" as Walker's regime remained short-lived. Walker's government was recognized by President Franklin Pierce on 20 May 1856, however, Costa Rica and other armies took action against the "Filibusters". By 1 May 1857 Walker had capitulated.