American Historical Ephemera and Photography

CDV on cardstock mount with red border (some clipping/loss to corners, few pin pricks/punctures to upper edge and right side, minor toning to print; mount with wear to edges and corners). Period ink caption to mount recto reads, "Intelligent Contrabands." Uncredited, though known to be the work of Louisiana photographers McPherson & Oliver. Verso with later numerical stamp and modern pencil inscriptions.

One of a number of portraits of enslaved persons taken by McPherson & Oliver during the Union occupation, this image features two African American men dressed in tattered clothing, one even standing barefoot on the ground. They are posed before what appears to be a makeshift studio complete with hanging sheet in which you can clearly see the fabric ripples and wrinkles. The caption, employing period terminology, suggests this is a satirical portrayal.