Letter from Robert B. Elliott to L. Dunneman
date: label: Date
content: August 4, 1880
name: label: Written by
content: Robert Brown Elliott, American, 1842 - 1884
label: Subject of
content: United States Department of the Treasury, American, founded 1789
notes: label: Caption
content: Born in England, Robert B. Elliott (1842–1884) moved to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1867 and, after co-founding the nation's first known African American law firm, Whipper, Elliott, and Allen with William Whipper and Macon B. Allen, he rose to prominence in state politics. In 1870, he was elected a U.S. representative to Congress. He received national acclaim for his powerful speeches in support of civil rights legislation.
label: Caption
content: At the time this letter was written, Elliott was working as an appointed customs inspector for the Treasury Department in Charleston, South Carolina. On the trip to Florida that is the subject of the correspondence, Elliott contracted malaria from which he would never fully recover. He was later transferred to New Orleans before being dismissed by the Treasury Department in 1882. He died in New Orleans on August 9, 1884.
label: Description
content: A handwritten letter by Robert B. Elliott containing his request of a friend for a loan of $100.00 in order to travel, on orders from Washington, to Florida on official business for the Treasury Department. The letter is handwritten in brown ink on one side of a single sheet of off-white paper lined in blue. At top left is [Confidential.] underlined and at top right is [Charleston, S.C., / Aug. 14th, 1880.]. The letter is addressed to [L. Dunneman, Esq., / Charleston, S.C.: / Dear Friend - ]. The body of the letter consists of two paragraphs and begins, [I am very sorry to trouble you, but i have just received orders from Washington to proceed to Florida on official business, and not having the money at present to bear the expense, I write to ask you to aid me in my difficulty as it is very important that I should go.]. It is signed at bottom right [Your friend, / Robt. B. Elliott.]. On the verso, preprinted in red ink is a form for [Office of Special Agent Treasury Department] that has not been completed. Handwritten in red ink at the very top is [D-15-1881] and at the bottom [7779 B/27] and [6137 B/27].
place: label: Place made
content: Charleston, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
label: Place depicted
content: Florida, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Correspondence
label: Topic
content: Finance
label: Topic
content: Government
label: Topic
content: Law
label: Topic
content: Men
label: Topic
content: Politics
label: Topic
content: Reconstruction, U.S. History, 1865-1877
label: Topic
content: Slavery
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1865-1921
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Slavery and Freedom Objects
label: Classification
content: Documents and Manuscripts
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Stanley Turkel's Collection of Reconstruction Era Materials
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2012.160.152.2
objectType: label: Type
content: lithographs
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: ink on wove paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 9 1/2 × 7 1/2 in. (24.1 × 19.1 cm)