Estate / Collection: An Upper East Side Map Collector

MURINGER, CASPAR; after CHRISTIAN SCHUSSELE.

In Defence of the Union and the Constitution. Philadelphia: P. S. Duval and Son & John Dainty, 1861. Chromolithograph, "printed in oil colors by P S. Duval & Son." 25 x 18 inches visible area. Framed. Lightly toned, small pencil mark in the lower right corner, otherwise a clean and bright example, not examined out of frame.

This attractively color-printed certificate was produced for the families of returning Union Army volunteers. This example, however, was never filled in with a soldier's name, regiment, and dates of service. The central scene depicts Columbia holding a copy of The Constitution and shielding a family huddled at her side, while a Union soldier stands in front of her with his rifle and bayonet at the ready. There are the ruins of a cannon at his feet and, in the background, we can see ships' masts and Philadelphia's Independence Hall. The border is printed in gold and includes eagles at the upper corners, and a variation of the Philadelphia State Seal at the bottom center. Rare - we locate just one example previously sold at auction (Swann, 2019), and three examples in institutional collections as per WorldCat (Library of Congress, University of Michigan, Library Company of Philadelphia).