1866 Cabinet Card Image of Gen. R.E. Lee Standing Beside Traveller

Cabinet Card Image of Gen. R.E. Lee Standing Next to Traveller – This cabinet card size image depicts Gen. Lee standing, in profile, beside his famous war-time horse, Traveller (1857-1871), at Rockbridge Baths, Virginia, in the summer of 1866. This image was claimed to have been taken by Adam H. Plecker*** (1840-1929) with his assistant Michael Miley (1841-1918), who would go on to take many photographs of Lee during his career, so much so that he is often referred to as “General Lee’s photographer”. Allegedly, the original negative for this image was lost or broken, therefore all examples of this image are copies of the original photographic print and are heavily retouched by Plecker; the unusual appearances of Lee and Traveller in the image are the direct result of Plecker’s tampering with the original photograph. Upon his return to Lynchburg, Plecker enlarged the image, colored it in oils, then rephotographed it.

***According to Henry Miley, son of Michael Miley, writing in reminiscences of his father in 1941:

“One of the first pictures of General Lee, after he came to Lexington, was made by my father at Rockbridge Baths. He and Plecker went there in a van – a boxcar wagon in which they would travel from place to place and stay as long as business was good …Father took two pictures of General Lee at Rockbridge Baths – one on his horse and one standing beside it. These pictures were small photographs made on a wet plate and were about 31/2 inches by 4 inches. Plecker had these pictures enlarged and worked up, but General Lee did not look natural. Father laughed about Plecker claiming to have made these pictures, but, as he was working for Plecker, the negatives belonged to Plecker, but Father made the sittings himself.”

The image remains in very good condition.

Measurements: Cardstock Backing – 8″ H x 6″ W.

Image – 5.5” H x 4” W