Group of six carte-de-visite (CDV) photographs taken by O.C. Smith in New Bern, North Carolina during the Civil War. The lot includes:

1. Historically important view of an enslaved African American family, inscribed on the verso in period ink, “Darkey Family." The photograph depicts eight enslaved people, most of whom are women and children, posed under an overhanging roof. The building is a bit of a ramshackle, with loose shingles and signs of general disrepair. A man holds a horse by the reigns just off camera to the viewer's left. The subjects cast serious expressions toward the lens of O.C. Smith. Condition is excellent, with strong tone and clarity. Rare visual evidence of a family, and the conditions they lived in, taken during or not long after the time of their actual enslavement.

2. View of Union soldiers guarding a jailhouse in New Bern. In 1862, Union troops led by General Ambrose Burnside took the coastal city, and it remained in northern control for the remainder of the Civil War. In this photograph, armed Union soldiers dressed for cold weather guard a prison building. The back is inscribed in ink, “Jail / Craven St.”

3. View of a large group of Union sailors who stand in front of what is notated in ink on the back to be a “Marine Hospital." Notably, some of the sailors are African-American. Also visible is an African-American man wearing a white apron. Many Union sailors participated in Burnside’s successful expedition to New Bern, which resulted in the capture and occupation of that city for the remainder of the war. The presence of bluejackets on the streets of New Bern would have been a commonplace sight.

4. Fascinating view of the Odd Fellows Hall in New Bern, North Carolina as it appeared during the Union occupation.  This well-composed shot of the brick structure shows two men, one a Union soldier, on the steps. A faint pencil notation on the verso reads “odd fellows house."

5. View of the wooden house used as the Union Army’s post office during their occupation of New Bern, North Carolina. Several soldiers mill about the exterior of the building, perhaps waiting to mail letters. Two beautiful willow trees frame the structure; the lack of foliage suggests the photo was taken during the winter months. An ink notation on the reverse reads, “Post-office cor. Pollock & Craven St., New Berne.”

6. View of five Union soldiers who strike a casual pose on the tall steps of the “Ward 8 Hospital." Another soldier stands sentry in front of an ornate iron gate that surrounds the building. A period ink grant on the reverse reads, “Ward 8 Hospital”.

Photographer O.C. Smith chronicled the Union occupation of New Bern, North Carolina during the Civil War. This series of six views are the partial result of his work. The prints, almost stereoview-sized, are finished in a style favored by Smith, evidenced by other attributed views. Condition of the photographs are as shown, their clarity and tonality are generally very strong.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Abolitionist, Abolition, Slave, Slavery, Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln] [19th Century Photography, Daguerreotype, Ambrotype, Tintype, CDV, carte-de-visite, albumen, cabinet card] [Abraham Lincoln]