The McAllister Collection contains about 7,000 Civil War envelopes collected by John A. McAllister. Issued by stationers, printers, and publishers, the envelopes contain patriotic designs and slogans to promote support for the war. Predominately published in the Northern states between 1861 and 1862, a small number of envelopes with anti-Union designs printed in the Confederate states circulated as well. The designs depict portraits of historic and prominent military figures, military scenes, state seals, cartoons, Liberty, American eagles, flags, and other military and patriotic emblems.

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9th Corps, 1st Division envelope
Image: Depicts an anchor and an unidentified object crossed within a shield. Designated as the symbol of the 9th Corps, 1st Division, which started with an expedition to North Carolina under Ambrose E. Burnside., Verse 2849: 9th Corps, 1st Division., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Abraham Lincoln and George B. McClellan envelope
Image: Union soldiers stand with flags, cannons and shields around bust portraits of both Abraham Lincoln and George B. McClellan. The banner below the portraits reads: "Review of the Army"., Verse: 1784: Review of the Army., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Abraham Lincoln and John C. Fremont envelope
Image: Union soldiers stand with flags, cannons and shields around bust portraits of both Abraham Lincoln and John C. Fremont. The banner below the portraits reads: "Review of the Army"., Verse 1305: Maj. Gen. Freemont., Verse: 1784: Review of the Army., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Abraham Lincoln star of the North envelope
Image: Depicts the bust of Abraham Lincoln as a shooting star. The tail of the shooting star is consists of red and white stripes, resembling a Union flag., Verse 1978: Star of the North, or the comet of 1861., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
African Americana Civil War envelope collection [graphic].
Propaganda envelopes published by various publishers predominately utilizing racist caricatures and satires of African Americans in relation to Jefferson Davis, slavery, and secession to promote Union support of the Civil War. Satires utilize themes of inversion of social roles, retribution, and Northern superiority. Includes envelopes with same graphic and variant text or title; sexually explicit illustrations; images originally published in different media such as cartoons; and one Southern imprint promoting a united Confederacy as the safeguard of slavery. Some caricatures portray African Americans with exaggerated features and speaking in the vernacular., Includes images of enslaved people seeking freedom, as living "contraband of war," celebrating, or depicted as the shyster character Jim Crow; depictions of the "peculiar institution" of slavery showing a white enslaver in bed with an enslaved African American woman, her breast visible, and who is breastfeeding a white baby; secession equated to African American freedom seekers, economic destruction of the South, and the moral corruption of people emancipated from enslavement; Jefferson Davis caricatured as a traitor in execution and imprisonment scenes overseen by enslaved people; and views of enslaved people working on plantations with text declaring the end of "King Cotton." During the Civil War, the U.S. government declared African American freedom seekers as “contraband of war.”, Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from content., Some copyrighted by Magee and Harbach & Brother., Various publishers including: Philadelphia publishers John Magee, S.C. Upham, Harbarch & Bro., and King & Baird; New York publisher Charles Magnus; and Charleston, S.C. publisher G.W. Falen. Other publishers located in New York, Buffalo, Hartford, Cincinnati, and Lancaster, Pa., See Steven Berry's "When mail was armor: envelopes of the Great Rebellion," Southern culture (Fall 1998)., Probably originally part of a McAllister scrapbook of Civil War envelopes., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Alabama envelope
Image: Depicts a map of Alabama tacked to a tree., Caption: Alabama. Secession., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Albany with two women holding grain envelope
Image: On the left hand side of the envelope two women hoist up a large sheaf of grain over their heads. The right hand image depicts a birds-eye view of Albany, New York., Verse 87: Albany, N.Y., Caption: Empire State., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Angel watching the Union and Confederate "brothers" envelope
Image: Before and after scenes, showing fighting Union and Confederate soldiers, who eventually end up together blanketed under the Union flag. An angel watches over the scene. In the after scene a female African American doll is awkwardly discarded on the floor, and not included under the Union blanket., Verse 146: As it is/As it will be/God watche's over them., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Angel with soldier envelope
Image: On the right hand side of the envelope, a woman prays on her knees outside of her house for her husband to return from battle. A battle scene is depicted behind the house. On the left, an angel supports a fallen soldier., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Battle at Newbern, N.C. envelope
Image: Two cavalrymen are talking in the foreground. They are surrounded by wounded soldiers on the field. The battle continues on in the right background. A town is visible in the right background., Verse 163: Battle at Newbern, N.C., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Battle at Winchester envelope
Image: Soldiers charge forward into battle with their bayonets upraised. A large Union flag is visible., Verse 164: Battle at Winchester under Gen. Shields., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Battle of Fort Donelson 1 envelope
Image: Depicts smoke rising from three gunboats on the Cumberland River. The boats exchange fire with soldiers on land at Fort Donelson, Tennessee., Verse 1897: Seige and Capture of Fort Donelson., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Battle of Fort Donelson 2 envelope
Image: Soldiers march forward with their bayonets. A blast knocks two soldiers down in the foreground., Verse 1897: Seige and Capture of Fort Donelson., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Battle of Fort Donelson 5 envelope
Image: Two soldiers fire their bayonets, while two soldiers operate a cannon. Many wounded soldiers are scattered on the field in the distance., Verse 1897: Seige and Capture of Fort Donelson., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Battle of Gettysburg 1 envelope
Image: Depicts soldiers firing cannons and cavalrymen in the foreground. Soldiers march in formation. Clouds of smoke rise up from the battle scene in the distance., Verse 169: Battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 3rd, 1863., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Battle of Gettysburg 2 envelope
Image: Depicts long rows of foot soldiers, cavalrymen, and cannons. Soldiers carry wounded men away from the scene. Clouds of smoke rise up from the battle in the distance., Verse 169: Battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 3rd, 1863., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Battle of Gettysburg 4 envelope
Image: Depicts horses rearing with soldiers on their backs as shots are fired in their direction. Soldiers fire cannons and march in the background., Verse 169: Battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 3rd, 1863., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Battle scene at Mill Spring, Kentucky No. 6 envelope
Image: One soldier stands in the foreground and is surrounded by wounded soldiers on the battlefield. In the distance, soldiers stand in rows and fire their rifles., Verse 171: Battle of Mill Spring, Ky., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Battle scene at Mill Spring, Kentucky No. 7 envelope
Image: Smoke rises up from a battle scene, where rows of soldiers advance toward those already fighting. A cavalryman rides behind the group and holds an upraised sword. Wounded men are scattered throughout the field., Verse 171: Battle of Mill Spring, Ky., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Battle scene at Mill Spring, Kentucky No. 8 envelope
Image: Depicts uniformed soldiers hiding behind trees, taking aim and firing their rifles. Smoke rises from the field in the distance., Verse 171: Battle of Mill Spring, Ky., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
"Black drop" envelope
Image: A racist depiction of an African American man's head replaces the top of an eye dropper, which rests on a bottle labeled "Black drop.", Verse 50: A popular medicine used by the C.S.A. aristocracy, that cannot be obtained in any northern apothecary shop, being com-pound-ed, exclusively on the sacred soil., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Bombardment of Fort Sumter envelope
Image: Cannonballs attack Fort Sumter from every angle. The five-sided structure sat in the middle of Charleston Harbor, in South Carolina., Verse 209: Bombardment of Fort Sumter, Apr. 12 & 13, 1861., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Bruce's New-York Type-foundry, 13 Chambers st., New York [specimen sheet]
Originally part of a McAllister scrapbook of Civil War miscellanies., Specimen sheet containing twelve numbered examples of Civil War envelope vignettes published by the Bruce New York Type Foundry also known as George Bruce's Son & Co. Designs depict the American flag. Some include the American eagle; military personal; a patriotic-themed border; or historic figures. Vignettes also include prices, ranging between 50 cents and 2 dollars, for plain or two-colors.
"Buffalo regiment" envelope
Image: Buffalo representing the 21st Regiment of the New York Volunteers, known as the 1st Buffalo regiment, recruited from Buffalo, New York., Verse 554: Ever Ready. The boys of 21st Regiment N.Y.V., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Building Dedicated to Art envelope
Image: Depicts two different scenes. On the left hand side is a group of four women who sit and stand around a shield, a flag, and a sword. Three of them hold something in their hands, including a bird, a caduceus, and an olive branch. On the right hand side of the envelope is an image depicting the elevation of the Building Dedicated to Art., Verse 233: Building Dedicated to Art, opposite the War Department., Caption: Our Land of Liberty one and Inseparable / No North, No South, No East, No West., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
California envelope
Image: Depicts two scenes, the left hand side shows Lady Liberty standing with an upraised flag in her right hand, and her left hand raised to shield her eyes. The phrase "For the Union" is superimposed onto the American flag. The image on the right side of the envelope is the seal of California, which depicts Minerva, the grizzly the bear, grain, a miner, and sailing ships., Caption: California., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Camp Barcly envelope
Image: Depicts cavalrymen lined up in rows, in front of rows of tents and tethered horses at Camp Barcly. Smoke rises from all of the tents., Caption: Camp BARCLY, Meridian Hill D.C., 1st Lancers 6th Penna Cavalry. Col. R.H. Rush. - Lt. Col. J.H. McArthur - Major C. Ross Smith - Jun. Major, Robert Morris, Jr., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Camp Davies envelope
Image: Depicts soldiers marching in formation with rifles, led by an officer riding a horse. Rows of tents are visible in the background., Caption: Camp Davies, near Upton Hill, VA, 142nd Regt. N.Y. Vols. Col. Roscius W. Judson, Lieut. Col. N. Martin Curtis, Maj. Nolteau G. Axtell., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Camp Monmouth envelope
Image: Soldiers stand guard with bayonets as others talk in small groups behind them. One soldier rides a horse in the camp. Includes rows of tents., Caption: Camp Monmouth, 10th N.J.V., Col. Murphy, Lt. Col. Truex., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Camp of the 5th Pennsylvania Cavalry envelope
Image: Landscape view, showing rows of tents set up on the hilly terrain in the distance., Verse 283: Camp of the 5th Pen. Cavalry, near Williamsburg, Va., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Camp scene envelope
Image: Seven soldiers sit and stand in front of a tent., Verse 287: Camp Scene, from photograph., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Camp scene with horse envelope
Image: Depicts nine soldiers posing in front of a tent. One soldier sits on a horse in the background., Verse 287: Camp Scene, from photograph., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Camp Seminary envelope
Image: Soldiers talk, exercise, train, and stand guard at Camp Seminary. The ornate Virginia Theological Seminary sits in the background, behind rows of tents., Caption: Camp Seminary, VA., 1st Regt. New Jersey Vol., Col. A.T.A. Torbert., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Cannon envelope
Image: Depicts a single cannon on a carriage., Verse 1598: Our "Commissioner" to the Confederate States., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Cherub envelope
Image: A cherub-like figure sits near a wheel, an urn, an open book, and flowers that frame the verse. The masts of a ship are visible in the background., Verse 973: "I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee: But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee.", Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Chesapeake and McClellan Hospitals envelope
Image: Depicts Chesapeake Hospital and McClellan Hospital in Virginia., Verse 197: Between Fortress Monroe & Hampton, Va., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Civil War era patriotic ream wrappers [graphic].
Civil War era patriotic ream wrappers [graphic].
5793.F.33a contains inscriptions about ream price., Originally part of McAllister scrapbooks of Civil War miscellanies and materials related to George McClellan., Seven of the collection trimmed., Collection includes ream wrappers for ruled note paper from Ellsworth Mills; Fremont Mills; McClellan Mills; Parsons Paper Co. (Holyoke, Mass.); and S.C. Upham (Philadelphia, Pa.). Also includes two "Union Note Paper" wrappers issued from unidentified sources. Majority of wrappers contain ornate borders and patriotic designs including eagles, the figure of Liberty, portraits of Elmer Ellsworth and George McClellan, and military iconography.
Confederate flags, snakes and woman in armor envelope
Image: A snake supports two criss-crossed Confederate flags. Includes a full-length view of woman (Victory) in armor, underneath of the phrase "Sic Semper Tyrannus"., Verse: Don't Tread on Us., Caption: Ever ready with our lives and fortunes., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Confederate Massachusetts envelope
Verse: Thou mischief making child of evil, Your dirty work has pleased the devil; you've broke our glorious nation up, Go now, and drain the bitter cup., Caption: Massachusetts, Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Confederate shield envelope
Image: Here, printed in tones of brown, is a shield with three flags on each side. The shield bears the image of the palmetto, the quarter-moon and a star. Atop it is the cap of Liberty., Verse: Bold, but wary., Caption: Southern Rights. Death Before Dishonor., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector

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