Beschreibung:

Lot of 3 CDVs, including a standing view of Civil War surgeon Mary E. Walker (1832-1919). Uncredited, n.d. "Dr. Mary E. Walker" inscribed on verso. Also with vignetted portrait of nurse Cynthia R. Tuell Denham ink inscribed on verso "Cynthia R. Denham / Lovell Genl. Hospital / R.I." Backmark of Joshua Appleby Williams: Newport, RI, n.d. Seated view of Elizabeth Brewster Scribner, hospital superintendent. Backmark on verso reads in part, "From / Lovell General Hospital, U.S.A. / Portsmouth Grove, R.I." with handwritten inscription "Miss E.E. Brewster / Lady Supt. / Lovell Hospt. / Portsmouth Grove / R.I." Likewise identified to J.A. Williams: ca 1864. Both Denhem and Scribner served at Portsmouth Grove's Lovell General Hospital, a sprawling summer estate repurposed to meet the demand for skilled medical care during the Civil War. A graduate of Syracuse Medical College (1885), Mary Walker was an author and early feminist who gained distinction during the Civil War as a humanitarian, surgeon, and spy. In recognition of her skills, Walker was appointed surgeon of the 52nd OVI in 1863 by General George H. Thomas She was captured in 1864 and held at Castle Thunder before she was exchanged for a Confederate officer "man for man." She was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in January 1866 on the personal recommendation of General William T. Sherman and refused to part with it when it was revoked for "unusual circumstances" in 1917. Dr. Walker died in 1919 and it was not until 1977 that President Jimmy Carter officially reinstated the award. Condition: Overall toning and surface soil. Loss to Denham portrait at left margin, and Scribner portrait with cropped corners.