Stereoview photograph taken on April 22, 1865 by Quaker photographer Ridgway (also spelled Ridgeway) Glover (1831-1866). This view shows a rare position along the Lincoln funeral procession route on Broad St. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This image shows the horse drawn hearse that was designed & built by E. S. Early, a Philadelphia, Pa. undertaker. As many collectors of Lincoln related photos know some images taken at certain positions along the funeral procession are very hard to find. In our experience of over 50+ years in handling early photographs this is one of the positions of the Lincoln funeral procession which is very hard to find.

This position shows a massive crowd with many people sitting on the first & second stories of buildings & looking out of the windows. This position shows the: "M. S. Myers Flour Grain & Mill Co.” which is on the ground floor to the left background in the photo. The top story of the same building has a sign which reads: "Commission Depot". There is another word in front of the word Commission which ends in "CE".

We have hearsay info that one or two photos of this position have changed hands privately over the last decade or two for prices far in excess of what the standard more common positions have sold for. However, we have not been able to verify that they were the exact same position that we are offering which changed hands for those very large prices. Also, we have never personally seen another example of this exact same position which we are offering which was for sale. However, we are aware of a few other examples of this view which reside in major collections. This circa 1865 card is as issued with a squared corners matt.

This view measures 6 3/4 inches by 3 1/4 inches. The corners have slight wear & there is minor age soiling. The back has some minor surface lines in the paper. Otherwise, it is in excellent condition & is quite pleasing.

An example of this same view (in lesser condition than ours) resides in the Library of Congress collection. An example of this photo is also shown in the book by Kunhardt, Dorothy Meserve, and Philip B, "Twenty Days: A Narrative in text and pictures of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln"....New York: Harper and Row, Inc. 1965, page 149.

There is no photographer's marking on the example we are offering. On the Library of Congress site, the image is attributed to Glover Ridgway. Their example also has no photographer's id on the matt (just like ours). There is another example online of this view extant in a different major collection which has the following text printed on the left front edge of the matt: "Hearse and Coffin in Philadelphia. Entered according to act of Congress on the 22nd of May, 1865, by Ridgway Glover, in the clerk's office of the district court of the United States, in and for the eastern district of Pennsylvania.”

Ridgway Glover was a Quaker gentleman, born in New Jersey in 1831. He became a photographer and worked for “Frank Leslie’s Illustrated”. His ambition was to photograph the frontier west. He was eventually able to do that with the patronage of “Frank Leslie’s Illustrated” and the Smithsonian. During his journey west he had a rather fearless attitude regarding the danger of Indian attacks, apparently believing that he could take photographs during attacks or go out unescorted by others who could protect him. Unfortunately, his luck ran out in September of 1866 when he ignored advice not to go out alone on a path to Fort Phil Kearny. His life ended that day when he was attacked and killed by Indians. He died relatively young, not having generated a huge body of work, but he is remembered still. A particularly exciting prospect for something to look for would be the photographs, so far undiscovered, that he intended to take, as reported in the May 1866 issue of an Omaha, Nebraska newspaper, of Indians at Fort Laramie’s peace conference in 1866. We did not find confirmation as to whether he took those photos of not. What a find that would be! On YouTube there is a video of a song created about him called “Ridgeway Glovers Lament”.

A rare view for an advanced collector of Lincoln related or stereoview photos.

Please examine the photos closely and purchase based on your own judgement as to condition and value. This item is inventory #9416.

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