Ernest Roblin photograph of execution of Pedro Prestán
odd: label: Local Call Number(s)
content: NAA Photo Lot 81-54, USNM ACC 24212
name: label: Creator
content: Roblin, Ernest
label: Names
content: Photographie Parisienne, photography studio
label: Collector
content: Appleton, Nathan, 1843-1906
label: Names
content: Prestán, Pedro, 1852-1885
place: label: Place
content: Panama
label: Place
content: Colon (Panama)
topic: label: Topic
content: Hanging
creator: label: Creator
content: Roblin, Ernest
culture: label: Culture
content: Panamanians
bioghist: label: Biographical/Historical note
content: Ernest Roblin joined the Societe Francaise de Photographie in 1880. Around 1885 he left Paris and opened a studio in Granville, which he called Photographie Parisienne. He changed the name in 1890 to the Photographie Maritime Castel-Photo.

Pedro Prestán was a rebel against the Colombian government. In 1885, he seized Aspinwall, Panama, including the American ship Colon and other American property. Threatened by government troops following United States intervention, the insurgents burned the city and abandoned it. Later the same year, the insurgents were captured and hanged.

Nathan Appleton was an American agent for Compagnie universelle du canal interocéanique de Panama, a French company attempting to build a canal across Panama, from 1881 through 1888. He probably obtained the photograph during this time.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1 Albumen print (mounted)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1885
custodhist: label: Custodial History note
content: Donated by Nathan Appleton to the National Museum in 1891 as part of accession 24212. Transferred from the Department of Anthropology Processing Lab to the National Anthropological Archives in 1981.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Anthropological Archives
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NAA.PhotoLot.81-54
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Albumen prints
label: Type
content: Photographs
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies note
content: Digital surrogate is available.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents note
content: Photograph depicting Pedro Prestán hanging from gallows on railway tracks, with an open coffin and five men standing nearby and others in the background. Prestán was hung in Apsinwall, now called Colon, Panama, on August 18, 1885.
relatedmaterial: label: Location of Other Archival Materials
content: The Library of Congress holds the Nathan Appleton papers, 1850-1904.
label: Location of Other Archival Materials
content: Appleton donated five other photographs to the Department of Anthropology in accession 24212.