Belle Isle and the James River

The reverse side of this albumen silver print bears the caption, "Belle Isle, Confederate Prison Camp from Manchester side of the James opposite Richmond." The island, a vacation spot for people from the Virginia capital during the prewar years, was located at the fall line of the James River, and Confederate authorities reasoned that the site's swift rapids would discourage escape attempts by Union prisoners of war who were held there. This image was made around 1880 by Richmond photographer George S. Cook.