Photographs taken during and after the war in Brownsville, Texas

chubachus

First Sergeant
Joined
Nov 27, 2014
Location
Virginia
brownsville2.jpg

  • Title: American side, pontoon bridge over Rio Grande River
  • Date Created/Published: [Place of publication not specified] : [Publisher not identified] ; [ca.1866]
  • Medium: 1 photograph : print on card mount ; mount 9.5 x 6 cm (carte de visite format)
  • Summary: Photograph shows a view of Levee Street in Brownsville, Texas from the pontoon bridge constructed by United States forces across the Rio Grande River from Matamoros, Mexico in November of 1866. The bridge is guarded by armed sentries of the 114th U.S. Colored Infantry.

brownsville1.jpg


  • Title: Mexican side, pontoon bridge over Rio Grande River
  • Date Created/Published: [Place of publication not identified] : [Publisher not identified] ; [ca. 1866]
  • Medium: 1 photograph : print on card mount ; mount 9.5 x 6 cm (carte de visite format)
  • Summary: Photograph shows a view of Matamoros, Mexico from the pontoon bridge constructed by United States forces across the Rio Grande River from Brownsville, Texas in November of 1866.
Source: Library of Congress
 
brownsville4.jpg

  • Title: Brownsville, Texas
  • Date Created/Published: [Place of publication not identified] : [Publisher not identified] ; [ca. 1865]
  • Medium: 1 photograph : print on card mount ; mount 9.5 x 6 cm (carte de visite format)
  • Summary: Photograph shows a view of Elizabeth Street in Brownsville, Texas, ca. 1865. Commercial buildings line one side of the dirt road and pedestrians walk on the other side.
brownsville3.jpg

  • Title: Brownsville, TX
  • Date Created/Published: [Place of publication not identified] : [Publisher not identified] ; [between 1861 and 1866]
  • Medium: 1 photograph : print on card mount ; mount 18 x 9 cm (stereograph format)
  • Summary: Photograph shows a view of Elizabeth Street in Brownsville, Texas, ca. 1865. Commercial buildings line one side of the dirt road.
All of the photographs could be postwar judging from the dates. Two more coming.
 
brownsville5.jpg


  • Title: Brownsville, TX
  • Date Created/Published: [Place of publication not identified] : [Publisher not identified] ; [between 1865 and 1866]
  • Medium: 1 photograph : print on card mount ; mount 17.5 x 8.5 cm (stereograph format)
  • Summary: Photograph shows shallow draft transport vessels lined up on the north bank of the Rio Grande River next to Levee Street in Brownsville, Texas preparing for transport. A U.S. garrison flag at Fort Brown is in the distance.

What looks like an American flag waving would indicate that this was taken during the brief Union occupation during the war or else after the war.

brownsville6.jpg


  • Title: Brownsville, TX
  • Date Created/Published: [Place of publication not identified] : [Publisher not identified] ; [between 1865 and 1867]
  • Medium: 1 photograph : print on card mount ; mount 18 x 9 cm (stereograph format)
  • Summary: Photograph shows a group of people, including two children on a horse drawn cart , preparing to cross the Rio Grande River from Mexico to Brownsville, Texas.
 
The atypical style of these stereoviews might either indicate a shortage of photographic supplies during the war or else an amateur photographer took them, or maybe both.

brownsville7.jpg


brownsville8.jpg


brownsville9.jpg
 
I've seen the first image here misidentified as being Beaufort, SC- it's bugged me because it didn't seem to match other ' Carolina shore ' images, way too flat for one thing.

There aren't many era images from Texas, good to see some thank you!
 
Back
Top