American Historical Ephemera and Photography

Trimmed CDV, approx. 2 1/8 x 3 1/4 in., with printed caption and Anthony's imprint on verso, and miniscule embossed medallions to lower corners (trimmed on all sides, spotting/blotching effect to image, with minor surface imperfections). Housed in 2 1/2 x 3 7/8 in. paper display sleeve.

Pauline Cushman (1833-1897) was an aspiring teenage actress when she became involved in espionage on behalf of the Union. While on a mission to gather intel in Nashville, Tennessee, Cushman was caught with incriminating information and sentenced to be executed as a federal spy. She was saved by the timely arrival of Union troops under General Rosecrans 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 CDVs.