Whole plate tintype, which appears to be a period enlargement made from a carte de visite of the Sultana taken at Helena, AR, on April 26, 1865, a day before she was destroyed. The original image of the overcrowded vessel is credited to Thomas W. Bankes, who was based in Helena; however further research indicates that Bankes left the area in 1863 for Little Rock, so we cannot confirm that he produced the original image. The tintype was probably made soon after the disaster. The view captures a large crowd of paroled Union prisoners packed tightly together on the steamboat's decks. Housed in period wall frame, 18 x 15 in. After surviving life in Confederate prison camps, 2,300 just-released Union prisoners of war, plus crew and civilian passengers, stood elbow-to-elbow on the Sultana. Carrying six times its legal limit, the Sultana puttered up the strong currents of the Mighty Mississippi towards home. That morning, one of its boilers sprung a leak. Seeing dollar signs rather than danger, ship captain J. Cass Mason made the fatal decision to put a patch of metal over the bulge in the boiler rather than removing and replacing it. At 2 AM, April 27, 1865, the repaired boiler exploded, causing two of the three other boilers to explode. Fire raged through the overcrowded ship. It must have looked like a scene from hell. Instead of fighting the flames, panicked passengers jumped into the icy waters. Many helplessly watched their comrades and loved ones be swallowed by the current or burned to death. Some 1,700 people died, making it the worst maritime disaster in US history, more costly than the sinking of the Titanic and almost the equivalent amount of casualties incurred at the Battle of Shiloh. Condition: The image in in good condition and held in a paper mat, the frame has some damage.
Whole plate tintype, which appears to be a period enlargement made from a carte de visite of the Sultana taken at Helena, AR, on April 26, 1865, a day before she was destroyed. The original image of the overcrowded vessel is credited to Thomas W. Bankes, who was based in Helena; however further research indicates that Bankes left the area in 1863 for Little Rock, so we cannot confirm that he produced the original image. The tintype was probably made soon after the disaster. The view captures a large crowd of paroled Union prisoners packed tightly together on the steamboat's decks. Housed in period wall frame, 18 x 15 in. After surviving life in Confederate prison camps, 2,300 just-released Union prisoners of war, plus crew and civilian passengers, stood elbow-to-elbow on the Sultana. Carrying six times its legal limit, the Sultana puttered up the strong currents of the Mighty Mississippi towards home. That morning, one of its boilers sprung a leak. Seeing dollar signs rather than danger, ship captain J. Cass Mason made the fatal decision to put a patch of metal over the bulge in the boiler rather than removing and replacing it. At 2 AM, April 27, 1865, the repaired boiler exploded, causing two of the three other boilers to explode. Fire raged through the overcrowded ship. It must have looked like a scene from hell. Instead of fighting the flames, panicked passengers jumped into the icy waters. Many helplessly watched their comrades and loved ones be swallowed by the current or burned to death. Some 1,700 people died, making it the worst maritime disaster in US history, more costly than the sinking of the Titanic and almost the equivalent amount of casualties incurred at the Battle of Shiloh. Condition: The image in in good condition and held in a paper mat, the frame has some damage.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
