Cabinet card portrait of John R. Bell
date: label: Date
content: 1885
name: label: Photograph by
content: David Hinkle, American, 1837 - 1916
label: Subject of
content: John R. Bell, American, died 1898
label: Signed by
content: John R. Bell, American, died 1898
label: Subject of
content: Henry C. Nields, American, 1838 - 1880
notes: label: Caption
content: John R. Bell was a steward on the Battleship Maine. Bell officially joined the Navy in 1871, although he may have begun his service as a servant to a naval officer during the Civil War. Prior to the Maine, he served on the St. Louis and Lancaster. He was known as a very kind man, beloved by the sailors on the ships he served. When the Maine was lost in Havana harbor in 1898, Bell was one of the missing men whose body was never recovered from the wreckage.
label: Description
content: A black-and-white cabinet card portrait of John R. Bell. He is pictured from the waist up and is looking directly at the camera. He has a mustache and goatee and is wearing a dark colored naval jacket over a dark colored necktie and white shirt. The jacket is double breasted with large buttons. A tie tack in the shape of an anchor adorns his necktie. The back of the photograph is inscribed "to Paul," and signed by John R. Bell, dated "Christmas 1885." A second inscription reads, "John R. Bell, with Lieutenant Commander Henry C. Neilds USN, Christmas 1885." The back also has the photographer’s mark, [Hinkle / 4739 & 41 / MAIN STREET GERMANTOWN PA.], at center.
place: label: Place captured
content: Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Military
label: Topic
content: Photography
label: Topic
content: Slavery
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: Liljenquist Family Collection
label: Classification
content: Slavery and Freedom Objects
label: Classification
content: Photographs and Still Images
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Liljenquist Family
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2018.43.7
objectType: label: Type
content: cabinet photographs
label: Type
content: gelatin silver prints
label: Type
content: portraits
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Public domain
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: photographic gelatin and silver on photographic paper on card mount
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (image): 5 7/8 × 4 1/8 in. (15 × 10.4 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (sheet): 6 1/2 × 4 1/4 in. (16.5 × 10.8 cm)