Are there any photographs of CSS Virginia extant?

Modeling Subjects Ships
1

While thinking about Hampton Roads I might just as well add a question I was asked some time ago on the existence of photographs of the Virginia. I rather promptly answered “no”, but on reflection I wonder whether that’s really the case.

Does anyone know more?

Jorit

2

Not sure if you’ve already found this site, but there are a number of contemporary drawings here: (no photos though) http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-us-cs/csa-sh/csash-sz/virginia.htm

3

Thanks for the link; I know these, though. There is a fair number of depictions of the Virginia, but to the best of my knowledge all these are drawings, paintings and the like; unfortunately they all exhibit a certain artistic license regarding certain details like boat stowage.

Jorit

4

I’ve never seen any photos of CSS Virginia and I any time I have heard the subject brought up on one of these discussion boards, it is claimed that no photos in fact exist of her. On the bright side, if you make a serious build of her, at least there wouldn’t be any real evidence to suggest that you got any details wrong!

5

As I understand it, it’s pretty generally accepted that there are no photos of her. The Civil War buffs certainly have looked; it’s hard to believe that they’ve overlooked any possible sources. On the other hand, new caches of vintage photographs do turn up periodically in attics, antique stores, and auction houses. Anything’s possible. The latest book about the Alabama contains a couple of exterior shots of her that were unknown until a few years ago.

The truth seems to be that photographs of Confederate Navy subjects in general are few and far between. About a year ago some of my students and I were involved in setting up an exhibit about the C.S.S. Neuse, a Confederate ironclad gunboat whose remains are preserved at Kinston, about 25 miles from here. In one of the exhibits we wanted to include at least one photo of a Confederate Navy enlisted man. We looked pretty thoroughly in all the sources available to the North Carolina Office of Archives and History, and weren’t able to find any such pictures whatsoever.

6

Thanks a lot for clearing that up; I had suspected so.

Jorit

7

Not that there are any actual photos, but have you checked out the CSS Virginia site?