Artists of Abraham Lincoln portraits . lding a flag, exhorting a freedmandressed in soldiers uniform. In thebackground a slave applauds the blacksoldier. Sergeant Thomas R. Hawkinsrescued this flag during a militaryassault on New Market Heights,Virginia, on September 29, 1864, forwhich he was awarded the Congression-al Medal of Honor. In his vignette for the color of the22nd Regiment, Bowser depicted a blacksoldier bayoneting a fallen Confederatecolor bearer who is attempting to defendhimself. Bowser painted the scenebelow a banner emblazonedwith Virginias state motto,Sic Semper Tyrannis (Thus
Artists of Abraham Lincoln portraits . lding a flag, exhorting a freedmandressed in soldiers uniform. In thebackground a slave applauds the blacksoldier. Sergeant Thomas R. Hawkinsrescued this flag during a militaryassault on New Market Heights,Virginia, on September 29, 1864, forwhich he was awarded the Congression-al Medal of Honor. In his vignette for the color of the22nd Regiment, Bowser depicted a blacksoldier bayoneting a fallen Confederatecolor bearer who is attempting to defendhimself. Bowser painted the scenebelow a banner emblazonedwith Virginias state motto,Sic Semper Tyrannis (ThusAlways to Tyrants).Recalling historicaland narrativepaintings depictingMoses receivingthe Ten Com-mandments, thecolor of the 24thRegiment—thelast regimentorganized atCamp WilliamPenn—shows anunarmed blacksoldier standing on amountaintop, armsstretched heavenwardtowards a message, Fiat Justitia(Let Justice Be Done). Above thepoignant scene Bowser painted a scroll,Let Soldiers in War be Citizens inPeace. Bowser employed patriotic 29. sentiments in his other colors, such asStrike! For God and Liberty (25thRegiment), One Cause, One Country(45th Regiment), and We Will ProveOurselves Men (127th Regiment). Although Bowser continued to workas an artist in Philadelphia after the CivilWar, he was never again offered theopportunity that working for CampWilliam Penn had afforded him. His laterwork consisted of designing costumesand regalia for fraternal groups. (He nolonger did such work for fire compa-nies.) In 1886, Bowser designed uniformsfor the third biennial parade of thePatriarchs, a quasi-military society ofblacks similar to the Masonic KnightsTemplar. Bowser became a 32nd degreeMason, the organizations highestmembership category, and in 1870 hewas elected secretary of the Grand andUnited Odd Fellows, an African Ameri-can fraternity in Philadelphia parallelingthe countrys more familiar organization,the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. David Bustill Bowser died on June 30,1900,
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Keywords: ., bookauthorlincolnfinancialfound, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890
