[Ellis-Eum, Tent of Captain John L. Ellis, Company F, 71st New York State Militia, Washington, D.C.]
April–May 1861
![[Ellis-Eum, Tent of Captain John L. Ellis, Company F, 71st New York State Militia, Washington, D.C.] by Unknown](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/met/ph/thumb/ellis-eum-tent-of-captain-john-l-ellis-company-f-830988.webp)
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
Image: 8 × 6 in. (20.3 × 15.2 cm) Sheet: 8 × 6 in. (20.3 × 15.2 cm) Mount: 10 × 8 in. (25.4 × 20.3 cm)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Vital Projects Fund Inc. Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2019
Accession Number
2019.518
Tags
Art Historical Context
This poignant albumen silver print from glass negative captures the modest tent of Captain John L Ellis, Company F, 71st New York State Militia, pitched in Washington, D.C., during April–May 1861. Taken just weeks after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter ignited the American Civil War, it documents one of the earliest Union responses: Lincoln's urgent call for 75,000 volunteers to defend the capital. The 71st, a storied New York militia unit, was among the first to arrive, transforming the nation's heart into a bustling military encampment amid rising tensions. The albumen process, introdu...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...