1865 – A carte-de-visite (cdv) photo of a realistic drawing of the capture of Confederate President Jefferson Davis by the 4th Michigan Cavalry while trying to escape Richmond in women’s clothing

Item Details

Rhode Island, Francis / Hacker, 1865, Carte-de-Visite

Very Good

This cdv (carte-de-visite) measures 2.5” x 4” and its mounted albumin photograph is approximately 2” x 3.25”. Text at the base of the card reads, “Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, by Francis / Hacker, in the Clerk’s office of the Circuit Court / of Rhode Island.” Blank back. In nice shape with sharp corners and almost no soiling.

On April 2, 1865, as it appeared certain that Petersburg would fall to the Union, General Robert E. Lee informed President Davis that he could no longer protect Richmond and advised the government to evacuate the city. Davis and his cabinet fled to Danville, Virginia, and following the surrender at Appomattox on April 9, deeper into the South. Davis hoped to secure passage to Britain or France and form a government in exile; however, before he could reach the coast, he was captured near Irwinville, Georgia by troopers of the 4th Michigan Cavalry.

At the time of his capture, Davis, who was ill, was wearing one of his wife’s black shawls for warmth during their difficult journey. The northern press immediately seized upon this and began to ridicule him as a coward. The northern public gleefully joined in, and soon photographers began to produce souvenir cdvs with cartoonish drawings exaggerating his dress. 

(For more information, see “Confederate President Jefferson Davis captured by Union forces” at the This Day in History website.)

This cdv, an albumin photograph, of a realistic drawing is much less common than most. At the time of listing, no other examples are for sale in the trade. The Rare Book Hub shows none have appeared at auction, OCLC identifies none held by institutions, however, a Google Image search reveals one is held by the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection. A Worthpoint search of eBay shows two, both with flaws, have been sold on that venue along with several cdvs with lithographed images, rather than photographs. 

#10507