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One of two large commemorative prints marking the ordinance issued by Missouri governor Thomas C. Fletcher, proclaiming the immediate emancipation of slaves in that state. The Missouri ordinance was issued on January 11, 1865, three weeks before the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was proposed by Congress.
In the center, above the text of the proclamation, and flanked by a lion and a dog, is a bust portrait of Gov. Fletcher with the arms of the state below him. Clockwise from top right are portraits of other Missouri officials: state auditor Alonzo Thompson, treasurer William Bishop, lieutenant governor George Smith, attorney-general Robert F. Wingate, register J. E. Smith, and secretary of state Francis Rodmann. Carved female figures personifying Commerce (upper left), Industry (upper right), Navigation (lower right), and Agriculture (lower left) appear in classical costume with their respective attributes. Commerce holds a caduceus, Industry a spindle and a large cogwheel, Navigation a rudder and miniature riverboat, and Agriculture produce and a spade. |
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