'The Great Surrender'

'The Great Surrender'

Northern Reaction to the End Results of the Trent Affair and the Return of the Confederate Diplomats

This print combines caricature with photography to express the artist's view of the events surrounding the Trent Affair. Here, the figures of Confederate diplomats James Murray Mason and John Slidell stand aboard a ship travelling to England. There, British Foreign Minister Lord John Russell tears apart the Right of Search document that justified their capture by the Union in November, 1861, seized in a search of the British vessel, the RMS Trent. U.S. Secretary of State William Seward stands across the water from him.

Seward faced criticism in England following the capture, amid growing tension over possible threats to Canada and pervieved violations of British neutrality. Finally, Confederate President Jefferson Davis disappointedly stands in the far right, having had hopes that this event would have ended up bringing Britain more solidly in support of the Southern cause.

E. Anthony, New York 1862

Digitized by the Library of Congress, online at https://www.loc.gov/item/2013648221/

The Library of Congress - Prints and Photographs Division

1862

Public Domain

English

Photographic Print, Text

The Great Surrender

America surrenders the great commissioners - England surrenders her great pretensions - Jeff. Davis surrenders his great expectations

"The Consideration is Ample." - Sumner

The portraits of Earl Russell, Mason, Slidell, and Sec'y Seward, are photography

Published by E. Anthony, 501 Broadway, New York

Photograph w/ drawn caricatures; Text on Back