Unpublished (?) contemporary photographs of the Spanish-Cuban-American War

[Unidentified Photographer]

[CUBAN PHOTOGRAPHS]. [SPANISH-CUBAN-AMERICAN WAR]. Group of six unmounted original photographs relating to significant sites in Cuba shortly after the end of the Spanish-Cuban-American War

S.l. 1899 (after; likely early 1900s). Six (6) original photographs, each image is slightly sepia toned, unmounted (7 x 5 inches). Some images crinkled; versos dusty. Good. Item #4242

SMALL BUT VERY INTERESTING GROUP OF CONTEMPORARY, ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF BATTLE SITES AND MONUMENTS OF THE SPANISH-AMERICAN-WAR, APPARENTLY UNPUBLISHED. These photographs were likely taken and printed very soon after the war ended; they are not "photo-postcards" but actual photographs, printed on uncharacteristically thin paper and trimmed by hand, suggesting that these may have been the photographer's proofs of some kind. Extensive online searches have not produced any matches with published or even unpublished photographs or postcards).

Each photograph is identified in pencil on the verso:

"Where American flag was raised July 1, 1898";
"Monuments - San Juan Hill" (i.e. San Juan Fort Obelisk);
"Peace Tree" [also known as the Surrender Tree];
"San Juan Hill" (major battlefield);
"Kettle Hill" (major battlefield);
"Bloody Ford" (major battlefield).

As we learn from the Cuban Battlefields of the Spanish-Cuban-American War website (University of Nebraska, Lincold), "The Spanish-Cuban-American War was a brief, but pivotal event in American history. It marked a major change in American foreign policy and military development. [...] American understanding of the War usually overlooks the fact that the fighting of 1898 was but a part of a larger conflict between colonial Spain and Cubans seeking independence. Active conflict between the Spanish army and well organized Cuban forces had been ongoing since 1895. Given the history of underappreciation, clarifying the activities of Cuban forces constitutes one of the major areas in which archeology can offer substantive new insights into understanding of the War."

Price: $120.00