Written by
Ticknor, Benjamin Holt, American, 1842 - 1914
Subject of
Brown, John, American, 1800 - 1859
Meriam, Francis Jackson, American, 1837 - 1865
Dr. Thayer, David
Date
1889
Medium
iron gall ink on paper and cardboard
Dimensions
H x W (a): 3 3/16 × 1 11/16 in. (8.1 × 4.3 cm)
H x W x D (b): 1 3/4 × 2 11/16 × 1/16 in. (4.5 × 6.8 × 0.1 cm)
Description
A provenance note (a) and label (b) related to an unspent cartridge from John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. The note was written by Civil War veteran Benjamin Holt Ticknor to document its chain of custody. The note, written on the back of Ticknor’s business card, reads [This bullet / was carried on the John / Brown raid by / Francis Jackson Merriam / and was by him given / to Dr. David Thayer / by whom he was se- / creted after his / escape. Given by Dr. / T. to me, today / Aug. 31 1889. / B.H.T.] in iron gall ink. The front of the card reads [Mr. Benjamin Holt Ticknor].
The label, also in iron gall ink, is paper on card and reads [A / "John Brown" / Bullet] with John Brown's name underlined. There are no marks on the back.
Place depicted
Washington County, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Memorabilia and Ephemera - Other
Type
notes
Topic
American South
Antislavery
Resistance
Slavery
U.S. History, 1815-1861
Violence
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2023.84.3ab
Restrictions & Rights
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5c0de4920-3967-4d43-9162-56f0be7c394e

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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