This is a reversed relief image of a train (4-8-4 steam locomotive, tender, and five cars) on a track and passing a signal. The words "the Gospel Train" are spelled in reverse, the title of a song, perhaps of African-American traditional origin, and reported as sung in 1863 by a Civil War northern officer from New England. By 1872 it was published by and part of the repertoire of the Fisk Univ. Jubilee Singers, who performed at least once in Lake Forest in the 1890s. Google images shows many illustrations accompanying sheet music and recordings of this song, but none heretofore with this particular design.

The digital image is black and white, though the natural color would be copper, against a black background.  The length of the copper plate and the block together is over 11 and 3/4 inches; the width is 3 inches; and the depth of the block and the plate together is 3/4 of an inch. 

The image was scanned and edited in Photoshop by Harris Miller (Lake Forest College Class of 2015), an Archives intern.  he was assisted by the staff and equipment of the Brown Technology Center, Donnelley and Lee Library, March 29, 2013.