Your personal choice of "most tragic" character in the assassination story

[MaddieM]

(07-24-2012 12:28 PM)BettyO Wrote:  I would have to vote for Fanny Seward as well as Mrs. Seward - both died shortly after Lew Powell's attack - more or less brought on by the horror of that night - Fanny by consumption and Mrs. Seward, whose heart was affected.

Annie Surratt was an extremely tragic person as well....

Also tragic, I feel, are the parents and family of Lew Powell. Lew's parents suffered dreadfully. They moved again (after having moved about a year earlier) further into the Florida backwoods, in fear that some neighbors would retaliate against them. I also recently found out that shortly after the execution some cruel person anomalously sent Mr and Mrs Powell a package of CDV photographs showing Lewis in every possible position while hanging - certainly a hateful thing to do to grieving parents. Their son made a serious mistake and paid for it with his life - but why make the parents, who knew nothing of it, pay? Folk could be just as cruel and mean in the Victorian era as they are nowadays....

What is CDV?

[Rob Wick]

MaddieM,

Carte-de-visite, which is a thin photograph put on a thicker backing. They were the size of a visiting card and became very popular in the 19th century. They were inexpensive and were popular during the Civil War as soldiers could carry them easily in a pocket.

Best
Rob

[MaddieM]

(09-09-2012 09:51 AM)Rob Wick Wrote:  MaddieM,

Carte-de-visite, which is a thin photograph put on a thicker backing. They were the size of a visiting card and became very popular in the 19th century. They were inexpensive and were popular during the Civil War as soldiers could carry them easily in a pocket.

Best
Rob

I've never heard of that. You live and learn. Kind of makes it all the more vile a thing to do, send photos of someone you love being executed. What torture that must have been.

[BettyO]

Maddie -

The photo of young Powell as a 15 year old in Alias is a CDV which was made from an ambrotype.


CDV's (short for the French Carte de Visite) were very, very popular -

This is a good site which explains the process for these albumen photographs. http://www.photographymuseum.com/histsw.htm

Here is a CDV of Lewis Powell which was made by Gardner and sold in his studio -

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Claudine]

(09-09-2012 02:08 PM)BettyO Wrote:  Maddie -

The photo of young Powell as a 15 year old in Alias is a CDV which was made from an ambrotype.


CDV's (short for the French Carte de Visite) were very, very popular -

This is a good site which explains the process for these albumen photographs. http://www.photographymuseum.com/histsw.htm

Here is a CDV of Lewis Powell which was made by Gardner and sold in his studio -

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Thanks for uploading, Betty! - How weird that they made this CDV of Powell for selling!

Did Gardner take pictures of all the assassins and how good did they sell? Bestsellers? Does anyone know? Was it like collecting baseball or soccer cards? I read those CDVs were not that expensive. How popular was it to own them?

I don't think any of the assassins did know why they were photographed/daguerreotyped (?). I assume, especially Powell would have become even more angry and desperate if he had known that Gardner sold his picture.

It's interesting that Gardner chose this picture, Powells grim facial expression. It really transfers his image of being the cold blooded berserk.

[BettyO]

These were made to sell at Gardner's Gallery in DC - yes, folk could buy them and apparently did - they were like baseball cards and really cheap back then.... and yes the Conspirators CDVs were popular in the latter half of the 1860s and 1870s....

I don't know what Powell thought of being photographed. I do know that he at one time shook his head vigorously in order to defeat Gardner; for which General H. H. Wells struck him on the arm. Eckert intervened.

Powell was not the blood thirsty psychopath that he seems to be. This boy was more frightened than angry - defiant, yes but that soon appears to disappear in his other photographs.

[LincolnMan]

Payne-alias Wood alias Hall. Come on guys-get the name right! Its Rev. Wood.

[BettyO]

Wrong! It was MR. Wood and Reverend Paine! Everyone gets that mixed up -- personally this kid had so many aliases I don't know how he kept straight!

AND - I have a few more that he used as well - which will be revealed in the 2nd edition of AP.....

[LincolnMan]

LOL! Too funny. And I had never heard of the Hall alias. Looking forward to more from you on our many named Lew.

[BettyO]

This kid had more aliases than a dog has fleas.....I don't know how he kept them all straight! He collected these names like a kid collects baseball cards!

[RJNorton]

First Mr. Wood shows up at the boardinghouse and says he works in a china store in Baltimore. Later the same man shows up, and he's now the good Reverend Lewis Paine. You would think the residents of the boardinghouse would have thought something fishy was going on?

[MaddieM]

(09-10-2012 01:07 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  First Mr. Wood shows up at the boardinghouse and says he works in a china store in Baltimore. Later the same man shows up, and he's now the good Reverend Lewis Paine. You would think the residents of the boardinghouse would have thought something fishy was going on?

What's your take on that?

[RJNorton]

Good question, Maddie. I am curious what Betty thinks.

[MaddieM]

(09-10-2012 01:20 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Good question, Maddie. I am curious what Betty thinks.

I was asking you actually.

[BettyO]

Apparently the Good Reverend Paine (formerly Mr. Wood) felt that the residents didn't know who he was or apparently, since he was asking for John Surratt Jr., felt that the household would know that he was working with John and therefore not be concerned. I think that Powell did not consider snoopy Mr. Weichmann into the bargain. Powell may have even forgotten the name he used on his first one night visit a month earlier in February of 1865.

Just my take!

What are ya'll's?