Oversize cabinet style photograph, its mount with a burgundy panel along the lower margin in which a gold-toned title and caption are flanked by M. Miley and Lexington, VA. imprints The verso is hand-stamped with ordering information and a is inscribed with a W. Franklin address likely from Richmond.

Enterprising Confederate veteran Michael Miley (1841 - 1918) opened a photography studio in Lexington, Virginia almost immediately after the Civil War. Miley's future success was ensured when his neighbor and former commander, Robert E. Lee, agreed to pose astride Traveller for the young photographer. The resulting equestrian image became an instant American icon, earning Miley the sobriquet "General Lee's Photographer." Following Lee's 1870 death, Michael Miley continued to run a portrait studio in Lexington, while experimenting with color photography and documenting life in surrounding Rockbridge County.

14 x 7.5 in.

Light foxing throughout; corner bumps; loss to the upper right tip of the print.

$200 - 400