Civil War Era Artifacts

Read the Terms of Use before downloading the following photographs and drawings. Click on the images in order to download the largest jpg. possible. I will also include historic, political cartoon artifacts under their own category in the future. There are a few from the Civil War era here.

Dark lanterns were used at night by civil war soldiers.

A sample microscope from the late 1800s. This version is in Grant's Museum in St. Louis, Missouri.

Women wore pantaloons under their skirts during the Civil War.

Above is an example of a mourning broach worn in memory of a loved one who passed away. Mourning jewelry made from hair of the deceased was often worn during the civil war.

This bed warmer was used during the mid 1800s. People would fill the small drawer with hot coals slide it into the box and shut the small door. The heat would then rise through the holes in the top of the box that was kept either under a bed or under the feet of a person to generate warmth.

This is a very fine example of a civil war era candle mold. 

This is a very fancy butter, press mold depicting a cow, tree and field. Such items were very popular in the mid 1800s.

A school master's desk from the civil war era. The desk serves as both a podium and a work space. Teachers could either stand or sit on a tall stool while lecturing or observing students in the school house. Important papers could also be locked inside the desk for safer keeping.

Civil war era ink well.

"Sunday Toys" were played with quietly after church during the mid 1800s. This little Noah's ark with animals was carved in Germany and most likely brought to America by a German immigrant family during the 1800s.

People during the civil war frequently wore gloves. These examples are from Grant's Museum in St. Louis.

This sample Fraktur is typical of family records produced by German immigrants. This folk art tradition was practiced during both the 1700s and the 1800s. In fact, there are fraktur artists that produce family documents in our own century! This particular sample comes from the photo collections at Wikipedia.

Just after the Civil war, ladies wore bustles under their skirts to give themselves fashionable shapes.

These are tools used in a tannery from Grant's Museum in St. Louis. Ulysses Grant's father owned and operated a tannery. Grant worked for his father when he was very young but did not want to be a professional tanner himself.

A small leather "housewife" carried by a civil war soldier contained threads, needles and buttons for wardrobe emergencies, of course!

Candle lantern used during the 1800s; glass keeps the flame safe from the occasional breeze and the wardrobe safe from hazardous flames.