Charles Magnus was famous print publisher, map dealer, and book seller from New York City during the mid-nineteenth century. He is best known for his city views and Civil War related material, publishing about 700 patriotic envelopes during the Civil War. Magnus used allegorical figures, battle scenes, political cartoons, portraits, and state emblems on these patriotic envelopes. He was born in Germany in 1826, but moved to New York City in 1848 and lived there until his death in 1900. Several other institutions around the country hold collections of Magnus's patriotic envelopes. See related material for more information.
From the guide to the Civil War-Era Pictorial Envelopes Collection, 1861-1865, 1861-1865, (State of Maryland and Historical Collections)