Photo Record

Catalog Number

2000.3.1

Object Name

Carte-de-visite

Title

Captain Carter and Family

Description

Portrait of husband and wife with baby. They are seated on backless stools. The woman holds a very young infant on her lap. The baby is dressed in a white gown. This carte-de-visite has a hand-cancelled Civil War revenue stamp on the reverse side.

From August 1964 to August 1866 the U.S. government instituted a law requiring that a tax stamp be attached to the backs of certain types of photograph and that it be cancelled by the selling establishment at the time of sale. The 2 cent revenue stamp was required for images costing less than 25 cents each. The blue 2 cent "playing cards" stamp was used during the summer of 1866. Images with this stamp can be specifically dated to the summer of that year.

The stamp is hand-cancelled with the initials, H E C. and dated Jan 7.