1879 CDV photo of four-year-old Charlie (AKA Charley) Ross, “The Stolen Boy”. On July 1, 1874, Charlie was abducted from in front of his home in Germantown, Pennsylvania by two men offering him candy and fireworks. Though the family continued to search for the boy for decades, he was never heard from again. The phrase “Don’t take candy from strangers” is said to have come about from this incident. In this CDV, Charlie is shown surrounded by dark clouds, which were commonly used in memorial photography and paintings; at this point, several years after his abduction, most assumed the worst.

The Thanatos Archive also owns a memorial stereoview of Charlie. If you’re member, just log into your account and type Ross in the search box to view it.

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