Signed Robert E. Lee Carte-de-Visite (CDV) – Salt Print

Signed Robert E. Lee Carte-de-Visite (CDV) – Salt Print 
 
This is a rare and collectible signed carte-de-visite (CDV) of General Robert E. Lee (1807–1870), the legendary Confederate commander. The photograph is a salt print—an early photographic process characterized by its matte finish, warm sepia tones, and soft, luminous quality—mounted on a standard CDV card (approximately 2.5" x 4").
 
Format: Classic CDV mount with affixed salt print portrait.
Signature: Authentically signed by Lee in ink, typically as "R E Lee" in the lower margin beneath the image. Lee's post-war signatures are especially sought after, often added as personal gifts, presentation items, or to admirers during his presidency at Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) in Lexington, Virginia.
Pose and Details:  "Blockade" view (from negatives by Julian Vannerson)
 
Robert E. Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was born at Stratford Hall in Westmoreland County, Virginia, into one of the state's most prominent families. The son of Revolutionary War hero Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee III, he graduated second in his class from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1829 without a single demerit, embarking on a distinguished 32-year career in the U.S. Army. Lee excelled as a military engineer, serving in coastal fortifications and gaining combat experience during the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), where he earned praise for his reconnaissance and bravery under General Winfield Scott. In 1831, he married Mary Anna Randolph Custis, great-granddaughter of Martha Washington, and the couple raised seven children at Arlington House, her family's estate overlooking the Potomac River. Despite his loyalty to the Union and opposition to secession, Lee resigned his commission in April 1861 after Virginia seceded, choosing to defend his home state rather than lead Union forces against it.
Appointed commander of the Army of Northern Virginia in June 1862, Lee became the Confederacy's most celebrated general, renowned for bold tactics and inspirational leadership. He repelled Union advances during the Seven Days Battles, achieved decisive victories at Second Manassas, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville, and led invasions of the North that culminated in the bloody stalemate at Antietam and the pivotal defeat at Gettysburg in 1863. Facing Ulysses S. Grant's relentless Overland Campaign in 1864, Lee conducted a tenacious defense, culminating in the prolonged Siege of Petersburg. Outnumbered and outsupplied, he surrendered his army to Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the Civil War. In his postwar years, Lee served as president of Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) in Lexington, Virginia, promoting education and reconciliation while privately grappling with bitterness over Reconstruction changes. He died of pneumonia following a stroke in 1870, leaving a complex legacy as a brilliant tactician, symbol of Southern honor in defeat, and enduring figure in American history.