The militia, the citizen military, was a visible and important part of civic life in nineteenth-century America. Nowhere was this more true than in the growing metropolis of New York. Dozens of voluntary military organizations existed to augment civil authority and provide defense in times of need. None was more famous than the 7th Regiment, "The National Guard."
This exhibit explores the visual world of the 7th Regiment in nineteenth-century New York. Over the course of that century the 7th evolved from an organization based around national defense into the bulwark of the social and political elite. The regiment and its supporters mobilized a variety of media that reflected and shaped public perception of the unit and its actions.
That visual material is the content of this exhibit. Clicking on images will enlarge them. Bolded words in the text, when clicked, will reveal additional information about themes and events. You can enter the world of the 7th in either of two ways. Begin with either a history of the organization, or a pivotal event, the Civil War, by clicking on the respective halves of the stereographic card reproduced below:
