IMAGO History, Archive, American Civil War, Freed Slaves 1861–1865

Sep 22, 2026

The following photos have been selected for you by the IMAGO picture desk on this topic. For more pictures please use the search function.

SLAVE CHILDREN, c1863. Rosina Downs, Rebecca Huger, and Augusta Broujey, slaves freed in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photograph, c1863. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0636801
FREED SLAVES, c1864. Wilson Chinn, Charles Taylor, Rebecca Huger, and Rosina Downs, slaves freed in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photograph by Charles Paxson, c1864. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0636798
SLAVE CHILDREN, c1864. Rosina Downs, Charles Taylor, and Rebecca Huger, slaves freed in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photograph by Charles Paxson, c1864. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0636794
SLAVE CHILDREN, c1864. Rosina Downs, Charles Taylor, and Rebecca Huger, slaves freed in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photograph by Charles Paxton, c1864. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0636793
SLAVES, c1863. Isaaw White, Mary Johnson, and Augusta Boujey, slaves freed in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photograph by M.H. Kimball, c1863. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0636789
RICHMOND: FREEDMEN, c1865. A group of freed slaves in Richmond, Virginia. Photograph, c1865. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0260089
CIVIL WAR: CONTRABANDS. Two African American contrabands (freed slaves) sitting in front of a tent, one with cigar and the other with a soup ladle at a military cookery in Culpeper, Virginia. Photograph by Timothy O Sullivan, November 1863. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0163355
FREED SLAVES, 1862. A Union soldier with the slaves of Confederate general Thomas Fenwick Drayton, on Drayton s plantation in Hilton Head, South Carolina, during the American Civil War. Photographed by Henry P. Moore, May 1862. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0120449
CIVIL WAR: CONTRABANDS. Slaves freed by advancing Union troops dig a canal during the Union siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, 1863. Wood engraving from a contemporary newspaper. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0101560
CIVIL WAR: FREED SLAVES. Slaves freed at New Orleans by Major General Nathaniel P. Banks of the Union Army. Wood engraving, 1864. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0101456
CIVIL WAR: CONTRABAND. Evening prayer meeting at a Contraband camp of former slaves freed by the Union Army at City Point, Virginia. Wood engraving, 1864. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0101401
CIVIL WAR: BLACK LABOR. Contraband (slaves freed upon entering Union lines) workers unloading vessels at City Point, Virginia, the location of Ulysses S. Grant s headquarters during the Petersburg Campaign, c1864-1865. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0090477
CIVIL WAR: FREED SLAVES. Contraband of war. Former slaves entering Union Army lines during the American civil war. Wood engraving from an English newspaper of 1861. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0090465
CIVIL WAR: FREEDMEN, 1863. Freed slaves coming into the Union lines at New Bern, North Carolina, following the Emancipation Proclamation. Engraving, 1863. Copyright: xSarinxImagesx xGRANGERx 0034396
CIVIL WAR: FREEDMEN, 1863. Freed slaves coming into the Union lines at New Bern, North Carolina, following the Emancipation Proclamation. Engraving, 1863. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0015220
CIVIL WAR: FREED SLAVES. A group of contrabands (freed slaves) in Virginia. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0005954
CIVIL WAR: CONTRABAND. A camp of freed slaves (contraband) at Richmond, Virginia. Photograph by Mathew Brady, 1865. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0005900
A freedmen s Bureau school in Richmond in 1866. Southern foes of Reconstruction burned many of these schools., Copyright: xUnitedxArchivesx xWorldxHistoryxArchivex WHA_092_0636 !ACHTUNG AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT!
Freed slaves on the canal bank at Richmond, Virginia. 1865, Copyright: xUnitedxArchivesx xWorldxHistoryxArchivex WHA_092_0635 !ACHTUNG AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT!
RECORD DATE NOT STATED Our Scouts and Guides in 1863 at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1863. Creator: Attributed to McPherson & Oliver. Copyright:xHeritagexArt HeritagexImagesx IMAGO ,2779764 ! ACHTUNG: AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! Copyright:HeritagexArt HeritagexImagesx IMAGO
RECORD DATE NOT STATED Deck of U.S. Ship Vermont, ca. 1863. Creator: Henry P. Moore. Copyright:xHeritagexArt HeritagexImagesx IMAGO ,2779093 ! ACHTUNG: AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! Copyright:HeritagexArt HeritagexImagesx IMAGO
RECORD DATE NOT STATED Contrabands Aboard U.S. Ship Vermont, Port Royal, South Carolina, 1861. Creator: Henry P. Moore. Copyright:xHeritagexArt HeritagexImagesx IMAGO ,2779092 ! ACHTUNG: AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! Copyright:HeritagexArt HeritagexImagesx IMAGO
RECORD DATE NOT STATED Laborers at Quartermaster s Wharf, Alexandria, Virginia, 1863-65. Creator: Attributed to Andrew Joseph Russell. Copyright:xHeritagexArt HeritagexImagesx IMAGO ,2778456 ! ACHTUNG: AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! Copyright:HeritagexArt HeritagexImagesx IMAGO
RECORD DATE NOT STATED Ex-slaves parading with liberation manifestos, American Civil War, 1861-1865 (1951). Artist: Unknown Copyright:xThexPrintxCollector HeritagexImagesx IMAGO ,2365791 ! ACHTUNG: AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! Copyright:ThexPrintxCollector HeritagexImagesx IMAGO
Freed slaves on the canal bank at Richmond, Virginia. 1865 WorldxHistoryxArchive 917_05_WHA_092_0635

Images in this collection

SLAVE CHILDREN, c1863. Rosina Downs, Rebecca Huger, and Augusta Broujey, slaves freed in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photograph, c1863. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0636801

FREED SLAVES, c1864. Wilson Chinn, Charles Taylor, Rebecca Huger, and Rosina Downs, slaves freed in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photograph by Charles Paxson, c1864. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0636798

SLAVE CHILDREN, c1864. Rosina Downs, Charles Taylor, and Rebecca Huger, slaves freed in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photograph by Charles Paxson, c1864. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0636794

SLAVE CHILDREN, c1864. Rosina Downs, Charles Taylor, and Rebecca Huger, slaves freed in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photograph by Charles Paxton, c1864. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0636793

SLAVES, c1863. Isaaw White, Mary Johnson, and Augusta Boujey, slaves freed in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photograph by M.H. Kimball, c1863. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0636789

RICHMOND: FREEDMEN, c1865. A group of freed slaves in Richmond, Virginia. Photograph, c1865. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0260089

CIVIL WAR: CONTRABANDS. Two African American contrabands (freed slaves) sitting in front of a tent, one with cigar and the other with a soup ladle at a military cookery in Culpeper, Virginia. Photograph by Timothy O Sullivan, November 1863. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0163355

FREED SLAVES, 1862. A Union soldier with the slaves of Confederate general Thomas Fenwick Drayton, on Drayton s plantation in Hilton Head, South Carolina, during the American Civil War. Photographed by Henry P. Moore, May 1862. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0120449

CIVIL WAR: CONTRABANDS. Slaves freed by advancing Union troops dig a canal during the Union siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, 1863. Wood engraving from a contemporary newspaper. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0101560

CIVIL WAR: FREED SLAVES. Slaves freed at New Orleans by Major General Nathaniel P. Banks of the Union Army. Wood engraving, 1864. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0101456

CIVIL WAR: CONTRABAND. Evening prayer meeting at a Contraband camp of former slaves freed by the Union Army at City Point, Virginia. Wood engraving, 1864. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0101401

CIVIL WAR: BLACK LABOR. Contraband (slaves freed upon entering Union lines) workers unloading vessels at City Point, Virginia, the location of Ulysses S. Grant s headquarters during the Petersburg Campaign, c1864-1865. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0090477

CIVIL WAR: FREED SLAVES. Contraband of war. Former slaves entering Union Army lines during the American civil war. Wood engraving from an English newspaper of 1861. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0090465

CIVIL WAR: FREEDMEN, 1863. Freed slaves coming into the Union lines at New Bern, North Carolina, following the Emancipation Proclamation. Engraving, 1863. Copyright: xSarinxImagesx xGRANGERx 0034396

CIVIL WAR: FREEDMEN, 1863. Freed slaves coming into the Union lines at New Bern, North Carolina, following the Emancipation Proclamation. Engraving, 1863. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0015220

CIVIL WAR: FREED SLAVES. A group of contrabands (freed slaves) in Virginia. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0005954

CIVIL WAR: CONTRABAND. A camp of freed slaves (contraband) at Richmond, Virginia. Photograph by Mathew Brady, 1865. Copyright: xGRANGERx xGRANGERx 0005900

A freedmen s Bureau school in Richmond in 1866. Southern foes of Reconstruction burned many of these schools., Copyright: xUnitedxArchivesx xWorldxHistoryxArchivex WHA_092_0636 !ACHTUNG AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT!

Freed slaves on the canal bank at Richmond, Virginia. 1865, Copyright: xUnitedxArchivesx xWorldxHistoryxArchivex WHA_092_0635 !ACHTUNG AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT!

RECORD DATE NOT STATED Our Scouts and Guides in 1863 at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1863. Creator: Attributed to McPherson & Oliver. Copyright:xHeritagexArt HeritagexImagesx IMAGO ,2779764 ! ACHTUNG: AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! Copyright:HeritagexArt HeritagexImagesx IMAGO

RECORD DATE NOT STATED Deck of U.S. Ship Vermont, ca. 1863. Creator: Henry P. Moore. Copyright:xHeritagexArt HeritagexImagesx IMAGO ,2779093 ! ACHTUNG: AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! Copyright:HeritagexArt HeritagexImagesx IMAGO

RECORD DATE NOT STATED Contrabands Aboard U.S. Ship Vermont, Port Royal, South Carolina, 1861. Creator: Henry P. Moore. Copyright:xHeritagexArt HeritagexImagesx IMAGO ,2779092 ! ACHTUNG: AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! Copyright:HeritagexArt HeritagexImagesx IMAGO

RECORD DATE NOT STATED Laborers at Quartermaster s Wharf, Alexandria, Virginia, 1863-65. Creator: Attributed to Andrew Joseph Russell. Copyright:xHeritagexArt HeritagexImagesx IMAGO ,2778456 ! ACHTUNG: AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! Copyright:HeritagexArt HeritagexImagesx IMAGO

RECORD DATE NOT STATED Ex-slaves parading with liberation manifestos, American Civil War, 1861-1865 (1951). Artist: Unknown Copyright:xThexPrintxCollector HeritagexImagesx IMAGO ,2365791 ! ACHTUNG: AUFNAHMEDATUM GESCHÄTZT! Copyright:ThexPrintxCollector HeritagexImagesx IMAGO

Freed slaves on the canal bank at Richmond, Virginia. 1865 WorldxHistoryxArchive 917_05_WHA_092_0635