Carte de visite photograph depicting three African American children identified in the printed caption as “Rosa, Charley, Rebecca, Slave Children from New Orleans.” The children are posed full length in a studio setting, seated and standing closely together, wrapped in large patterned shawls or blankets that envelop their figures. The photograph is an albumen print on a standard CDV mount with a green double-line border. The identification and title are printed directly beneath the image, anchoring the subjects and location without ambiguity.

This image belongs to a well-documented group of Civil War era photographs produced for abolitionist and philanthropic purposes following the Union occupation of New Orleans. Such images were intended to confront pro-slavery ideology by presenting enslaved or formerly enslaved children in composed, dignified poses, emphasizing their humanity and vulnerability. The careful staging and formal presentation align with contemporary efforts to influence Northern public opinion through visual culture.

The verso is fully printed and numbered “No. 9,” with a copyright statement entered in 1864 by S. T. Tacksberry in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. It includes a printed declaration that the net proceeds from the sale of the photographs were to be devoted to the education of colored people in the Department of the Gulf under the command of Major General Banks. The photographer is credited as Chas. Paxson, New York, with ordering information directing correspondence to H. N. Bent, 1 Mercer Street, New York.