A Treasure of Camp Family Photos

I have some motivation for continuing the research on the wife of Caleb Case, Sophia Camp, of Sangerfield, Oneida County, New York.  Among the many things saved in the attic of my husband's mother were these photos, all unidentified, but most are dated.

 All of the photo, but one, were taken in Waterville, New York, which is near Sangerfield and is also where some Camp family members lived.  I wanted to show both the front and back of the photograph because of the great markings on the back and the tax or revenue stamp.

 The tax stamp was required between March 1865 and August 1866.  Notice the 1868 photo above has no stamp.  The cost of the stamp depended on the value of the photo.  The 2 cent stamp meant that the photo would sell for a quarter or less but more than a dime.  This brief stamp act was passed by Congress to provide revenue for the Union war effort. 

 The photographer was supposed to affix the stamp to the photo and then cancel it with his initials and date, but most found that too time consuming, so they took shortcuts.  Placing an X on the stamp was one way to do that, as shown in the stamp above.

 Beginning about 1860, the carte de visites (CDV) photo became very popular in America.  It was a photo mounted on cardboard, measuring 2 1/2 by 4 inches, and it could be easily carried by soldiers, displayed in the home, or sent in the mail.

 I feel certain that these are photos that Sophia Camp Case's siblings sent to her in Indiana, perhaps with letters which have not survived, to my knowledge.  The dates may be a help in narrowing down who these folks might be.