Rare oversized 16.5 x 13.5 albumen photograph of the six British high commissioners to the important 1871 Treaty of Washington, originally taken by famed Civil War-era photographer Mathew Brady, whose name and studio address are annotated directly below the image on the original 22.5 x 19.75 studio mount, “M. B. Brady, 627 Penn. Ave. Wash’n D.C.” The mount also bears bold ink signatures of the six pictured commissioners: Lord Tenterden, Sir Stafford Northcote, Earl de Grey (Marquess of Ripon), Sir Edward Thornton, Mountague Bernard, and Canadian Prime Minister John A. Macdonald. In very good to fine condition, with tears, dampstaining, and corner damage to the mount, all of which could be matted out to produce a striking display. An extremely scarce photo and signature presentation from the studio of Mathew Brady, celebrating the historic and successful Washington Treaty negotiations.
The Treaty of Washington, signed in 1871, was a landmark agreement between the United States and Great Britain that resolved several long-standing disputes between the two nations. Most notable of these were the Alabama Claims, which stemmed from the actions of Confederate naval vessels built and outfitted in British ports during the American Civil War. These ships, particularly the CSS Alabama, inflicted significant damage on Union shipping. The Treaty of Washington established a tribunal to settle the claims, which ultimately awarded the United States $15.5 million in damages and addressed other contentious issues, including the boundaries between the United States and British North America (Canada). The treaty inaugurated permanent peaceful relations between the United States and Canada, and also with the United Kingdom.
