[Port Royal, Rappahannock River, Virginia] 1861 - 1865

Andrew Joseph Russell created this photograph, "[Port Royal, Rappahannock River, Virginia]", during the American Civil War. Russell was one of the few photographers permitted to document the war, giving this image significant historical weight. The photograph captures a scene of Union soldiers and vessels at Port Royal. The setting however, is critical. Virginia was a Confederate state, and the Rappahannock River served as a strategic site in numerous battles. In this context, this image is not a neutral depiction; it is a visual assertion of Union presence and power within Confederate territory. The uncredited labor of enslaved people in constructing the port is unseen, yet central to the infrastructure of war. Consider what is revealed and concealed in this photograph. What stories are told, and whose voices are absent? The image invites reflection on the complex interplay of power, representation, and historical narrative.