Henry P. Moore

Though unsigned or stamped with a maker's name, there are reasons to believe that this photograph was taken by Henry P. Moore. Leaving his home in Concord, New Hampshire, Moore traveled during the Civil War in search of business, as did many photographers of his day. In 1862–63 he operated a portable gallery and studio at Hilton Head, where a regiment of New Hampshire troops was stationed. Though perhaps best known for his portraits of Hilton Head's African-American residents, Moore was fond of both the scenic and the descriptive image. He also made portraits of soliders and numerous views of buildings, vessels, and island scenery, as well as photographs of the federal warships and ironclads that moored in Hilton Head harbor. Issued as 5 1/2 X 8-inch prints after Moore returned to Concord, these images later drew international notice.

Merry A. Foresta American Photographs: The First Century (Washington, D.C.: National Museum of American Art with the Smithsonian Institution Press, 1996)