'Richard Pemell, the Lord Lyons'

'Richard Pemell, the Lord Lyons'

A photo negative of British Minister to the United States, Richard Pemell, Lord Lyons, during the Civil War

From his position as the British envoy to Washington D.C., Lord Lyons served as a vital avenue of communication between the U.S. and U.K. Often meeting with Secretary of State Seward to discuss matters lying between their respective nations, it was Lyons that transmitted the demands of the British during the Trent Affair of 1861, working with Seward and Lincoln to facilitate a peaceful resolution. Lyons would later negotiate with Seward a new Anglo-American agreement in mid-1862, tackling the slave trade in the Atlantic. In part due to his strong working relationship with Seward, Lyons sympathized with the problems of the U.S., though he maintained a neutral perspective, and was prepared to put the interests of the British government first.

National Photo Company

National Photo Company Collection, Library of Congress

Digitized in the Library of Congress, https://lccn.loc.gov/2016821200

Taken between 1861 and 1865, Published between 1908 and 1919

No known restrictions on publication

Glass Negative

Still Image

Glass negative