American Historical Ephemera & Photography

8 7/8 x 6 7/8 in. albumen photograph on 12 x 10 in. mount (toning and spotting to print; toning, spotting, and some staining to mount, edge and corner wear, remnants of tape on mount verso). Mount recto with negative credit to Timothy O'Sullivan and positive credit to Alexander Gardner, image and series titles, and publication information. Originally taken in May 1863 and published as plate 32 in Gardner's Photographic Sketch Book of the Civil War. The photograph provides a distant view of two parallel pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg, VA. Groups of men stand on the banks on both sides of the river, and on the spans of both bridges. Carts carrying long, wooden planks are visible in the foreground, and an army camp can be seen on the far bank of the river.