Cabinet Card of Allen Allensworth. Elrod Brothers: Louisville, Kentucky, n.d., ca 1889. Imprint and handwritten inscription on verso, “Chaplain Allen Allensworth U.S.A. / Fort Bayard Jan. 15. 89 / N. M.” With printed pamphlet “Rev. Allen Allensworth. Subject of Lectures” and various reviews pasted to the verso. Full body portrait with Allensworth wearing his chaplain’s uniform. His elbow rests upon a faux tree stump and he stands before a painted river scene backdrop. Taken in the midst of his chaplaincy with the Buffalo Soldiers while stationed at Fort Bayard in the Territory of New Mexico. Most portraits of Allensworth depict him towards the end of his life, but this is the earliest known photograph of him, taken in 1889 just three years into his 20-year service as a chaplain. Allen Allensworth (1842-1914) was a remarkable Union soldier, Baptist minister, politician, and California pioneer. Born into slavery in Louisville, Kentucky, he endured a difficult childhood, separated from his family and sold downriver to the Deep South. Despite this, he was motivated to educate himself and managed to do so. During the Civil War, he escaped and served as a civilian nurse with the 44th Illinois Volunteer Infantry and later enlisted with the US Navy. After the war, he dabbled in politics serving as the first and only black representative to the Republican National Conventions in 1880 and 1884. He also became a Baptist minister and was appointed as a military chaplain to the Buffalo Soldiers with the 24th Infantry Regiment, only the second black chaplain in the military. He served for 20 years and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel, the first African American to do so. In 1908, after his retirement two years earlier, he founded Allensworth, California, for which he is best remembered. The race colony is the only town in the state to be founded, financed and governed entirely by African Americans. Although drought and tainted water eventually caused residents to relocate, the town is maintained as the Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park. Condition: Very minor scuffs, else very good.
Cabinet Card of Allen Allensworth. Elrod Brothers: Louisville, Kentucky, n.d., ca 1889. Imprint and handwritten inscription on verso, “Chaplain Allen Allensworth U.S.A. / Fort Bayard Jan. 15. 89 / N. M.” With printed pamphlet “Rev. Allen Allensworth. Subject of Lectures” and various reviews pasted to the verso. Full body portrait with Allensworth wearing his chaplain’s uniform. His elbow rests upon a faux tree stump and he stands before a painted river scene backdrop. Taken in the midst of his chaplaincy with the Buffalo Soldiers while stationed at Fort Bayard in the Territory of New Mexico. Most portraits of Allensworth depict him towards the end of his life, but this is the earliest known photograph of him, taken in 1889 just three years into his 20-year service as a chaplain. Allen Allensworth (1842-1914) was a remarkable Union soldier, Baptist minister, politician, and California pioneer. Born into slavery in Louisville, Kentucky, he endured a difficult childhood, separated from his family and sold downriver to the Deep South. Despite this, he was motivated to educate himself and managed to do so. During the Civil War, he escaped and served as a civilian nurse with the 44th Illinois Volunteer Infantry and later enlisted with the US Navy. After the war, he dabbled in politics serving as the first and only black representative to the Republican National Conventions in 1880 and 1884. He also became a Baptist minister and was appointed as a military chaplain to the Buffalo Soldiers with the 24th Infantry Regiment, only the second black chaplain in the military. He served for 20 years and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel, the first African American to do so. In 1908, after his retirement two years earlier, he founded Allensworth, California, for which he is best remembered. The race colony is the only town in the state to be founded, financed and governed entirely by African Americans. Although drought and tainted water eventually caused residents to relocate, the town is maintained as the Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park. Condition: Very minor scuffs, else very good.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
