Prints and Photographs Collection

Joseph D. Sayers

This undated carte de visite shows Governor Sayers as a young man in Bastrop, Texas. Sayers was born in Mississippi and moved to Bastrop with his father at age 10. He attended the Bastrop Military Institute, then in 1861 joined the Fifth Regiment, Mounted Volunteers, C.S.A. He reached the rank of major in 1864 and was assigned to the staff of Gen. Thomas Green. After the war, Sayers returned to Bastrop and practiced law before becoming involved in politics.

Cartes de visite were small photographs attached to card stock that became very popular in Victorian times. People collected images of their friends, family, and famous people. The craze reached its height from 1860-1864, and by the 1880s had largely faded from the scene.

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