By James S. Brust Today’s photograph collectors have a term to describe cartes de visite of art, celebrities, scenes and other non-personal portraits tucked into albums—filler CDVs. The term assumes
By Ronald S. Coddington The officers of the warship St. Louis arrived in the bustling Moroccan port city of Safi on an August day in 1863 to a warm welcome.
By Chris Foard, MSN, RN In the annals of American history, perhaps no individual looms larger and longer than the towering figure of President Abraham Lincoln. We never tire of
By Ron Field Occasionally, Civil War imagery and postal history entwine to tell a story, almost as if they were meant to find one another. Case in point: This carte
Field glasses and telescopes loomed large in the Civil War. Used by soldiers and sailors to gain an edge over their enemies, numerous references to this essential accouterment appear in
By Scott Vezeau It is well known by collectors that the federal government taxed photographs to pay for the Civil War. To prove payment, photographers added revenue stamps in various
By Dave Batalo and Rusty Hicks Rough-hewn rail fences dominate the countryside around Gettysburg, dividing it into neat plots of field and wood. One of these borders, located downslope beyond
By Dr. William Schultz Military portraits from the Mexican War are especially relevant to American history, notes veteran collector Bill Schultz. “Images from this period are the earliest true visual
By Kraig McNutt Read enough soldier letters written during the Civil War, and you’ll find most possess remarkable structural similarity. Each begins with a greeting, followed by news from the
By Sidney Dreese, with images from Diane Mazze Confederates captured David Heckendorn on an autumn day in 1863 as he traveled by train through Virginia towards Orange Courthouse. His seizure
