African Americana

A group of 40 etchings, each approx. 24 x 19 in., from numbered series (1-40) Life Studies of the Great Army (loose as issued, some with spotting, soiling, and staining to margins, chipping). Each etching with 1876 copyright date, plate number, and title printed in the lower margin. Housed in original publisher's cloth gilt portfolio (evidence of dampstaining, wear to extremities). A fine group of etchings documenting soldier and civilian life during the Civil War, many including African American subjects.

During the Civil War, New York City native Edwin Forbes became a reportorial artist for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, joining the staff at age 22 in 1861. He was attached to the Army of the Potomac and was one of the youngest and one of the few artists who covered the entire war. He used many of his pencil sketches for large paintings after the war and from them, produced a series of detailed etchings, which were published in Life Studies of the Great Army in 1876. This series earned Forbes a gold medal at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.