Love of country dominates this portrait of a young woman who posed for this photograph during the Civil War. An analysis of this image points to her being a volunteer at the Mississippi Valley Sanitary Fair, held in St. Louis in 1864. This carte de visite may have been sold as a fundraiser for the fair.
Dressed in patriotic garb, she is flanked by powerful national symbols: a shield representing protection and a national flag inscribed “Old Guard Co. A,” a military unit organized to defend the city of St. Louis. Atop the flagpole is a liberty cap representing freedom.
A name is inscribed in period pencil on the back of the carte’s mount: Miss Alice Bailey. This may be the individual pictured, or perhaps the person who received it. Several Baileys were involved in the fair’s planning and execution, including Maj. Charles C. Bailey and his wife, and Nida. A “Miss Bailey” contributed a hair wreath that raised $379. If a connection between any of these Baileys and Alice exists, it has yet to be discovered.
The Mississippi Valley Sanitary Fair, held between May and June 1864, raised a staggering sum of $554,591 ($11.2 million today) to support the Western Sanitary Commission’s efforts to provide supplies and services to the troops. It was one of the highest-grossing events of its kind. Major Gen. William S. Rosecrans, President of the Fair’s Executive Committee, led the effort.
The Old Guard, also known as the Silver Greys, originated in August and September 1862. One writer described it as an organization formed “of the older citizens of St. Louis, on military principles, for the purpose of protecting the lives and property of the citizens from secretly organized bands, mob violence, or ‘enemies’ of evil or destructive tendency in the city.” Support for its formation came from Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield, who commanded the Military District of Missouri. At least two companies, A and B, served the city.
In March 1865, St. Louis citizens and soldiers organized a massive parade to celebrate recent military successes as Sherman’s Army marched through the Carolinas, the fall of Wilmington, N.C., and the second inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln. The Old Guard marched up front, with the city police and a military contingent. According to one report, “This was a post of honor, and the gray hairs of the company entitled them to it.”
The Old Guard disbanded in July 1865.
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