Clara Barton Autographed Signed Letter.

BARTON, Clara.

Item Number: 79085

Autograph letter signed by Clara Barton. The letter, addressed to a Mrs. Renel on the verso, transmits  the text of a reply she has mailed to correspondent in Athens, Greece, “My dear Mr. Denetriaralis, Your card asking for the last report of the Red Cross is at hand. In reply I would say that I am not now President of the Red Cross, which has passed into the hands of the Government, with the Sec. of War as its President. As you will see above, I am president of the National First Aid of America – which means First aid for the injured…” She signs the letter, Clara Barton, Pres. The letter measures 8.25 inches by 5.5 inches. Matted and framed.

Clara Barton was working as a patent clerk in Washington D.C. when the Civil War broke out, and she quickly went to work employing her self-taught nursing skills in aiding the wounded. Following the war she achieved widespread recognition by delivering lectures around the country about her experiences, and became involved with the International Committee of the Red Cross. In 1881 she founded and became president of the American branch of the society. Barton was forced to resign as president of the American Red Cross in 1904, at the age of 83, largely because of her egocentric leadership style fitting poorly into the formal structure of organizational charity. In the present letter, her continued anger and dismay at her dismissal can still be read between the lines.