A vintage carte de visite depicting the former home and tailor shop of 17th U.S. President Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) in Greeneville, Tennessee. The carte de visite is captioned at right as "The First Sanctum of Our President" above copyright information. Ca. 1865. [Nashville, Tennessee.] The albumen print is mounted on a cream card with a printed backstamp reading in part verso: "T.M. Schleier / Photographer, / Corner Union & Cherry Sts., and 27 Public Square / Nashville, Tenn. / Photographs enlarged and colored. / Landscapes, city views, &c., &c." Expected wear including isolated stains. The leftmost corners are cropped. Else near fine. 4" x 2.5."

Andrew Johnson lived in Greeneville, a town in eastern Tennessee, before and after his 1865-1869 presidential term. Johnson had moved to Greeneville from North Carolina around 1826. He set up a prosperous tailor's shop originally located on Main Street; the building consisted of a one-room tailor's shop in the front and a one-room private residence in the back. The tailor's shop played an important role in Johnson's early life, as it introduced him to both education and politics. Johnson hired people to read to him while he worked in the tailor's shop, thus greatly furthering his studies. In addition, the tailor's shop was a place of energetic intellectual discussions, and also where Johnson hosted his city alderman meetings. The single chimney, clapboarded building was later relocated to its present location, at 101 N. College Street, currently part of the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site. Johnson's tailor shop is preserved, along with some of his original tools and furnishings, in the Memorial Building.

Theodore M. Schleier (1832-1908) was a Prussian-born photographer who established his storefront in Nashville in 1859. He opened a branch at Knoxville in 1864. Schleier's geographical situation enabled him to document many interesting places and people from the Civil War.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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