ROBERT E. LEE (1807 - 1870) Confederate General and commander of the Army of Northern Virginia arguably the most brilliant commander of field armies in American history. Carte de visite photograph showing Lee in uniform a bust portrait taken close to the end of the war signed “R.E. Lee.” On the verso appears the imprinted backstamp of noted Confederate-era photographers Vannerson & Jones Richmond Va. Above this photographer’s stamp is a U.S. tax stamp indicating a post-war sale by Vannerson. By 1866 photographs of Lee showed him in civilian garb and the U.S. government no longer required tax stamps on photos thus this photo was likely signed in 1865. Image slightly faded margins browned still entirely acceptable.