The End of the Rebellion in the United States, 1865

Description:

A sequel to Kimmel and Forster’s earlier “The Outbreak of the Rebellion in the United States,” this 1866 print features a symbolic representation of the downfall of the Confederacy and the end of the Civil War. Upon an altar carved with relief portraits of Washington and Lincoln, stand two robed females figures, Liberty, who wears a Phrygian cap and holds an American flag, and Columbia, who is adorned with a crown of stars. Below them to the left, Lady Justice triumphantly raises her sword and balance. In the foreground of the scene, a black soldier and a freedman kneel before the central pedestal. Behind Liberty stand President Andrew Johnson and the Union generals, Grant, Sherman, and Butler. In the background, behind these officers, an outfit of solemn, well-postured Union troops face opposite a disorganized grouping of defeated Southern fighters. A selection of notable Confederates are gathered in the right of the scene, including Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and John Wilkes Booth. An eagle grasping thunderbolts flies above all these figures and in the background, an American flag waves over Fort Sumter.

Christopher Kimmel was born in Germany around 1850 and after immigrating to the United States, was active in New York City from 1850 to 1876. He was part of Capewell & Kimmel from 1853 to 1860, and then partnered with Thomas Forster in 1865, forming the lithography firm of Kimmel & Forster, which was active until 1871.