CDV of Adele Douglas, The Widow of Stephen A. Douglas
This carte de visite depicts Adele Cutts Douglas (1835–1903), the second wife and widow of U.S. Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois, a prominent political figure of the antebellum era. The photograph was made shortly after Senator Douglas’s death in June 1861, and Adele is shown in traditional mourning dress, reflecting 19th-century customs surrounding widowhood and public remembrance.
The image was produced by Charles DeForest Fredricks, one of the most successful and influential photographers in mid-19th-century America. Fredricks operated a major studio at 587 Broadway in New York City and was known for his refined portraiture and for photographing notable political, cultural, and social figures. His studio’s printed backmark on the reverse of the card served both as branding and as a mark of professional quality.
As a carte de visite (CDV)—a small photographic format popular in the 1860s—the photograph would have been collected, exchanged, and displayed in albums, helping to circulate the likeness of well-known individuals during the Civil War era. This image of Adele Douglas survives today in major institutional collections and offers insight into period photography, mourning practices, and the visual culture surrounding American political figures and their families.