Carte-de-visite portrait of Samuel Ely

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

Carte-de-visite of Samuel Ely shown in three-quarter portrait. Ely is seated with his body facing the camera, but his head is turned one quarter to his right and he looks off camera. His hair is parted on the left side and combed smooth to just above his ears and he has a full beard and mustache. His cheeks are tinted pink. Ely wears a dark coat with velvet collar, white shirt, dark bowtie, dark vest, and light pants. A watch chain is visible hanging from his vest buttons. His left elbow is propped on the arm of the chair he sits in white his right hand rests on his right thigh. The bottom portion of the image is purposefully faded in the popular style of the time. Handwritten in graphite at the bottom of the print is the name "Samuel Ely". Handwritten in graphite on the back of the photograph is "Sam. S. Ely.

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