In the next day or so I will be posting a review of the terrific book, Patriotic Envelopes of the Civil War: The Iconography of Union and Confederate Covers (LSU Press, 2010), and my interview with the book's author, Dr. Steven R. Boyd, professor of history at the University of Texas San Antonio.
In advance of that, I wanted to share images of Civil War patriotic covers in my own collection.
There are more than 10,000 wartime covers that could be collected and my (very) few are only a (very) small fraction of that number, but I'm really pleased with what I have been able to collect in that they all (but one) have a definite "quack medicine" theme, which was an important part of mid-19th century culture, and - as readers of this blog know - is a passion of mine.
Indeed, as you will glean from my interview and review, that (i.e., the reflection of popular culture in envelope illustrations) is a major theme of Dr. Boyd's book!
There are a few "elusive" covers along the same theme that I am still looking for, including a "Black Drop" cover and a "Dr. Scott's Cast Iron Pills" cover...if you have any other ideas, let me know!
Enjoy!
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