Powerful Civil War-era carte de visite depicting the formerly enslaved man known as Gordon, photographed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1863. The image shows Gordon seated in profile with his back exposed, revealing a horrific web of scars inflicted by repeated whippings. Widely circulated during the war, the photograph became one of the most influential visual documents of American slavery, galvanizing support for the abolitionist cause in the North and abroad.

The verso includes printed text titled "The Scourged Back," quoting a letter from S. K. Towle, Surgeon of the 30th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, written to W. J. Dale, Surgeon-General of Massachusetts. The letter details the origin of the image and describes Gordon’s physical and personal character, contrasting the brutality of his punishment with his demeanor, which is described as intelligent and well-behaved. The imprint of McAllister & Brothers, Opticians, 728 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, appears below the text.

Few images from the nineteenth century carry the historical weight and visceral impact of this photograph. As a piece of both abolitionist propaganda and documentary evidence, it stands as a haunting and enduring indictment of the cruelty of slavery in the United States. Examples of this image, especially with the full McAllister imprint and letter, are scarce and highly sought after by institutions and collectors of Civil War and African American history.