Work

The Evacuation of Fort Sumter, April 1861

A carte de visite of Fort Sumter after the evacuation, April 1861.

A Charleston negative on a New York mount, sold north within weeks of the surrender. The card is the reason these views traveled, and the reason the photographer’s name so often disappeared from them: what the buyer saw printed was the publisher’s.

On the attribution

The museum lists two artists, each “Attributed to” — Alma A. Pelot and Jesse H. Bolles — and a publisher, Edward Anthony. The photographer and the publisher are recorded in separate fields because they are separate facts.

The record

Title, as catalogedThe Evacuation of Fort Sumter, April 1861
PhotographerAlma A. Pelot, Jesse H. Bolles
FirmJ. H. Bolles’s photographic gallery
Published byE. & H. T. Anthony & Co.
AttributionAttributed
Date, as catalogedApril 1861
PlaceFort Sumter, Charleston Harbor
Controlling forceConfederate-held
Processalbumen silver print from glass negative
Formatcarte de visite
DimensionsImage: 1 15/16 × 3 1/8 in. (5 × 7.9 cm); Mount: 3 3/8 in. × 4 3/4 in.
Negative or printprint
CollectionGilman Collection, Museum Purchase, 2005
Object number2005.100.1174.11
RepositoryThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
Credit lineGilman Collection, Museum Purchase, 2005, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
RightsPublic domain
Rights advisory, verbatimPublic Domain
Catalog recordhttps://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/302674
ConfidenceVerified
Last verified2026-08-30

Sources