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ACQUISITIONS
Photoprint of the USS Hartford, 2013.0363 ACQUISITION SPOTLIGHT
Farragut’s Flagship, Photographed
Ihe Collection recently acquired its first photoprint of one of the most storied—or, from a local perspective, infamous—vessels in American naval history, the USS Hartford. Launched in 1858 from the Boston Navy Yard, the Hartford engaged in diplomatic missions overseas prior to the start of the Civil War. As flagship of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, it carried David Glasgow Farragut (1801—1870) as he stormed past Forts Jackson and St. Philip in late April 1862, their fall foretelling the federal occupation of New Orleans. The Hartford remained Farragut’s flagship following his promotion to admiral in June 1862 and saw service in subsequent years at the sieges of Port Hudson and Vicksburg. It was also active in the capture of Mobile Bay, thanks to Farragut’s famous “damn the torpedoes” directive.
The Hartford was not decommissioned until 1926 nor dismantled until 1956. This silver-gelatin photoprint, taken around the turn of the 20th century, captures the vessel in middle age. The photographer, George Buffham, operated a studio in Annapolis, Maryland, between 1890 and 1910—and the Chesapeake Bay is the likely setting for the scene. Most likely an enlargement from a view-camera negative, the print measures a generous 13.25 by 17.5 inches.
Though The Collection has images of the Hartford in other media, such as the William Waud sketch to the right, this acquisition is THNOC’s first photograph of the vessel. It also bolsters THNOC’s Civil War- and Farragut-related holdings—an assemblage of manuscripts, pictorial items, books, pamphlets, and other materials illuminating the origins, lived experiences, and legacies of the conflict. Many of these artifacts populated the recent exhibition Occupy New Orleans! Voices from the Civil War, and the new Hartford photograph will doubtless find its way into future displays. —JESSICA DORMAN
Related Holdings
£»-'■— -
New Orleans [with portrait of Commodore Farragut]
1800s; print, engraving with watercolor by Charles Magnus, publisher 7970.40
Pitcher bearing portraits of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut and General Ulysses Simpson Grant
between 1864 and 1866; porcelain, painted and gilded
by Rudolph T. Lux, painter 1998.49
Naval Engagement at New Orleans
1900s; line photolithograph
by Alfred Rudolph Waud, delineator
W7-137-2-50
Farragut’s Fleet Passing the Forts below New Orleans
between 1863 and 1867; painting, oil on canvas by Mauritz Frederik De Haas, painter 7974.80
Hartford
1862; drawing, pencil
by William Waud, draftsman
1977-137-1-59
Summer 2014	21