"Culinary art in Camp, 43rd Reg. N.Y. Volunteers." Photo of Union Army cooks of the 43rd New York Infantry Regiment preparing a meal in Camp Griffin in Lewinsville, Virginia, c. 1861-1862. Taken by photographer Charles Bierstadt and originally published as a stereoview. The lattice fence seen in the background of this looks quite similar to the one in the photo of the "hotel" building at Camp Griffin taken by George Houghton, so I surmise this kitchen scene might have been taken nearby, maybe even on the same property.
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Monday, December 15, 2025
Photo of Union Army Cooks of the 43rd New York Infantry Regiment Preparing a Meal in Camp Griffin in Lewinsville, Virginia (1861-1862)
Friday, October 10, 2025
Photo of Union Soldiers of the 13th Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment in Their Winter Camp in Wolf Run Shoals, Virginia (1863)
Photo of Union soldiers of the 13th Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment in their winter camp in Wolf Run Shoals, Virginia, early in 1863. From the book Pictorial History Thirteenth Regiment Vermont Volunteers War of 1861-1865 published in 1910.
Source: Library of Congress.
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Photo of a Crowd on Main Street in Front of the Spotswood Hotel To Greet Jefferson Davis in in Richmond, Virginia (1867)
View of a crowd in along Main Street in front of the Spotswood Hotel said to be there to greet Jefferson Davis in Richmond, Virginia, presumably shortly after his release from Federal custody in the city in May 1867. This information comes from a note on the back of the card. I could not find any other corroboration that the photo shows a crowd waiting for Davis. Taken by photographer D. H. Anderson and originally published as a stereoview.
Thursday, June 26, 2025
Early Photo of the Colonial Courthouse Building in Williamsburg, Virginia (1870's)
Portrait of a group posing in front of the colonial Courthouse building in Williamsburg, Virginia, c. 1870s. Another group appears to be practicing their baseball skills in the background at right. Taken by photographer D. H. Anderson and originally published as a stereoview.
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Early Photo of Chain Bridge Over the Potomac River Connecting Virginia With Washington DC (1860)
View of Chain Bridge over the Potomac River connecting Virginia (area where the bridge ends at left in distance) with Washington, D.C., c. 1860. The two men posing in the rowboat in the foreground might be Peale's photographic assistants or else simply out for a day of fishing. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale. Originally published as a stereoview. This is probably the earliest known photo of the bridge if it was taken before or during the early days of the Civil War.
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Photo Portrait of a Group Posing in Front of George Washington's Family Tomb at Mount Vernon, Virginia (1859)
Portrait of a group posing in front of George Washington's family tomb on the grounds of Mount Vernon in Fairfax County, Virginia, May 13, 1859. What looks to be three black men, possibly enslaved workers at Mount Vernon, are posing directly in front of the tomb's gate. Taken by photographer Titian Ramsay Peale who signed and dated the photo at bottom right.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Hand-Colored Photo Portrait of a Group Posing in Front of Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County, Virginia (1859)
Hand-colored portrait of a group posing in front of Natural Bridge in Rockbridge County, Virginia, c. 1859-1860. Attributed to William England. Originally published as a stereoview by London Stereoscopic Company. The man sitting in shadow on a ledge at right might have been a local guide that the photographer had hired while the three posing at the bottom of the gorge might have been tourists.
Sunday, January 12, 2025
Early Photo of Washington DC Taken From Robert E. Lee's Arlington House Mansion in Arlington, Virginia (1850's/1860's)
Early view of Washington, D.C., which looks like it was taken from the area in front of Robert E. Lee's Arlington House mansion in Arlington, Virginia, c. 1855-1865. The uncompleted Washington Monument can be seen across the Potomac River on the right. This might be the earliest known photo of the monument. Possibly taken during the early days of the Civil War after Union soldiers occupied the Arlington House property or else during the years leading up to the war. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.
Source: National Museum of American History.
Early photo of Arlington House possibly taken on the same day by Peale.
Saturday, January 11, 2025
Portrait of a Family Group Posing in Front of George Washington's Mount Vernon Mansion in Fairfax County, Virginia (1859-1860)
Portrait of a group posing in front of George Washington's Mount Vernon mansion in Fairfax, Virginia, c. 1859-1860. What looks like a blurry family can be seen sitting on the lawn in front of the second pillar and a man can be seen looking on at far right. At least two ship masts and two wooden planks can be seen holding up the deteriorated left side of the porch. Attributed to either John Wood or Montgomery Meigs.
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Early Photo of Robert E. Lee's Arlington House Mansion in Arlington, Virginia (1850's/1860s)
Early photographic view of the front of Robert E. Lee's Arlington House mansion in Arlington, Virginia, c. 1855-1865. Possibly taken during the early days of the Civil War after Union soldiers occupied the property. This might be the earliest surviving photo of the mansion. Attributed to Titian Ramsay Peale.
Monday, December 30, 2024
Portrait of a Large Group Posing in Front of the City Hotel Old Powder Magazine in Williamsburg, Virginia (1870s)
Portrait of a large group posing in front of the City Hotel (right) and Old Powder Magazine (left) in Williamsburg, Virginia, c. 1870s. This could possibly be the earliest surviving photo of the magazine which was the focal point of the 1775 Gunpowder Incident, a very early event in the Revolutionary War which is largely forgotten today. The photo was originally published by photography firm Anderson & Ennis as a stereoview.
Saturday, June 22, 2019
View of the Winter Camp of the 2nd Regiment of Cavalry, Massachusetts Volunteers on Ayr Hill in Vienna, Virginia, During the American Civil War (1863-1864)
Source: California Digital Library.
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Portrait of Five Members of the Virginia Military Institute Gymnasium Club From the 1885 Edition of VMI’s Yearbook Named The Bomb
Source: Virginia Military Institute.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Portrait of Crewmen Posing on the Tugboat Named Clyde on the James River in Virginia During the American Civil War (1860's)
Portrait of crewmen posing on the tugboat named Clyde on the James River in Virginia during the American Civil War, c. 1862-1865. Attributed to Mathew Brady.
Source: National Archives and Records Administration.
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Glass Stereoview of George Washington’s Mount Vernon Plantation House in Fairfax County, Virginia (1850′s)
Glass stereoview of George Washington’s Mount Vernon plantation house in Fairfax County, Virginia, c. 1850′s. It was probably owned by John Augustine Washington, a great grandnephew of George Washington, at the time that the photograph was taken by the Langenheim brothers.
Source: New York Public Library.
Saturday, March 17, 2018
View of the Virginia Washington Monument Taken on the Day of Its Unveiling in Richmond, Virginia (1858)
View of onlookers and the Virginia Washington Monument taken on the day of its unveiling in Richmond, Virginia, February 22, 1858.
Source: Library of Congress.
Friday, February 16, 2018
Portrait of a Group of Possibly Recently Freed African American Slaves Posing in Front of a Building, Possibly a Slave Cabin, On a Plantation Owned By Dr. William F. Gaines in Hanover County, Virginia (1862)
Portrait of a group of possibly recently freed African American slaves posing in front of a building, possibly a slave cabin, on a plantation owned by Dr. William F. Gaines in Hanover County, Virginia, 1862. By George Harper Houghton.
Source: Library of Congress.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
A Group of Union Soldiers and Civilians Posing on a Rebuilt Railroad Trestle Bridge Over Bull Run Near Manassas, Virginia, During the American Civil War (1863)
A group of Union soldiers and civilians posing on a rebuilt railroad bridge over Bull Run near Manassas, Virginia, during the American Civil War, 1863. Attributed to Mathew Brady.
Source: National Archives and Records Administration.
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Monday, July 31, 2017
Portrait of Two Men Wearing Civilian Clothing Posing in Fort Beauregard in Manassas, Virginia, During the American Civil War (1860’s)
Portrait of two men wearing civilian clothing posing in Fort Beauregard in Manassas, Virginia, during the American Civil War, c. 1860’s. Attributed to Mathew Brady.
Source: National Archives and Records Administration.
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Sequence of Photographs of Union Army Covered Wagons On The Move Picking Up and Carrying Off Supplies, Ambulances, Horses, an Encampment, and Docked Transport Vessels at Belle Plain Along Potomac Creek in Virginia During the American Civil War (1864)
These four looped photographs were taken in quick succession with a 4-lens stereoscopic camera and reveal that a time of possibly a few seconds between when the images on the glass negative plate were exposed. A primitive film emerges when they are animated as seen here. They were probably taken by a photographer employed by Mathew Brady.
Source: National Archives and Records Administration.


















