A remarkable group of four early Navy-related carte-de-visite photos: a head and shoulders portrait of John Ericsson signed on the front below his image, “J. Ericsson”; another half-length portrait of Ericsson signed and inscribed on the reverse, “To Gustavus Vasa Fox, Asistant Secretary of the Navy, the energetic promoter of the Iron Clad Fleet which will place the United States at the head of Naval Powers, by his obliged friend J. Ericsson”; a portrait of the aforementioned Gustavus Fox signed and inscribed on the reverse, “Mrs M. E. Bair from G. V. Fox, Asst Secy of the Navy, 1861-1866, St Petersburg, August 1867”; and a portrait of James B. Eads signed beneath his image, “Jas. B. Eads.” In overall fine condition, with scattered light soiling, small stains to the half-length Ericsson image, and a corner crease and paper loss to the back of the other Ericsson image.
These naval veterans played integral roles in high seas warfare, particularly Ericsson, who designed the navy’s ironclad warship, Monitor. The ship was launched in 1862 and is the vessel that stopped the Confederate ironclad Virginia during the Civil War. Fox, a naval officer who served during the Mexican-American War and as assistant secretary of the Navy during the Civil War. As noted here by the Monitor’s designer, Fox championed Ericsson’s idea. For his part, Eads was contracted with constructing seven ironclad ships for the Union, completing the initial task within five months before producing additional ironclad steamships throughout the war. A unique ensemble of those men who contributed to wartime ingenuity. Provenance: The Barry Hoffman Collection. RRAuction COA.
