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Primary sourcePhotograph24 September 1869

Black Friday 1869

24 September 1869

A photograph of the Gold Room bulletin board from the 1869 gold panic, carrying Garfield's own handwritten note identifying it as evidence from the hearings he chaired.

Garfield chaired the committee that used this photograph as evidence and wrote the handwritten caption identifying it.

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Photograph of a dark chalkboard-style bulletin board in the New York Gold Room headed 'BLACK FRIDAY', covered with handwritten gold price figures and the words 'Quotations of Gold, September 24, 1869'. Handwritten caption below reads 'This is a Photograph of the Bulletin Board in the Gold Room at N.Y. Sept 24, 1869'.
Bulletin Board, New York Gold Room, 24 September 1869, with caption by James A. Garfield.

About this source

What it is

This photograph shows the bulletin board in the New York Gold Room on 24 September 1869, covered with handwritten gold price quotations recording the collapse of gold prices that day. Below the photo is a handwritten caption by James A. Garfield identifying it as evidence used before the Committee on Banking and Currency.

Why it matters

Garfield chaired the congressional committee that investigated the 1869 gold panic known as "Black Friday." His handwritten note on this photograph connects him directly to the investigation, showing him using visual evidence to document a financial crisis for Congress — an early example of photography being used as evidence in government hearings.

Look closer

  • Why would a photograph of a chalkboard be useful evidence in a congressional investigation?
  • What does Garfield's handwriting on the image tell you about his role in the inquiry?
  • What is damaged or missing from the caption, and how does that affect what we can know for certain?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James A. Garfield on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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