Description:

(UNION NAVY) PAUL SHIRLEY SIGNED CARTE DE VISITE
PAUL SHIRLEY (d. 1876) U.S. Navy commander of the sloop-of-war USS CYANE, boarded and seized the schooner J. M. CHAPMAN, suspected of being a Confederate privateer, in San Francisco harbor. Inspection found the schooner to be carrying a cargo of guns and other military stores, with seventeen unregistered crewmen aboard, who were imprisoned at Alcatraz. I.S.P., 2.5 x 4 in. sepia, a carte de visite featuring a chest-up portrait of Shirley in full uniform. He signs in black ink on the verso, adding his rank ‘Commander U.S. Navy', as well as the dedication ‘For my little friend Lizzie Spotts'. The verso further bears the backstamp of San Francisco photography studio Addis & Koch, as well as a transmittal stamp and a later service history of Shirley in pencil. Shows slight bumps to the corners, otherwise in very good condition.

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November 14, 2025 10:00 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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