This composite of Gettysburg views was printed on fabric in the blue tones of the cyanotype process popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Developed in the 1840s, it was a cheap and simple way of making photographic prints and persisted for a long time in producing diagrams, i.e. “blue prints.” One advantage was that the photo-sensitive chemical solution could be used on pretty much anything that would absorb it, including cloth, so a souvenir pillow cover would be a ready candidate. The views are titled simply, “Souvenir of Gettysburg” in a scroll at top and include some of the most well-known monuments and locations: the High Water Mark, Hancock’s statue, etc. Whether by chance, artistic design, or marketing, the central image chosen is the monument at Gettysburg erected to the US regulars. If it was intentional, the thought may have been to aim not only at veterans of the regulars visiting the field, but the many later US army troops visiting the battlefield during training and instructional encampments. In any case, souvenirs like this are part of the history of the battlefield, and how people used and interpreted it.

The fabric is in great condition and the images preserve good depth of tone. The fabric itself measures 18 by 19 inches and is held flat in a slightly larger mat (20 1/8” x 23 1/8”.  [sr]

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