What are those postage stamps on the back of old photographs? Did they send them through the mail?
A. Have you ever seen a Civil War era photo with a stamp on the back? It is logical to assume that the photo was sent through the mail. But, look again at the stamp. It will most likely be issued by the Internal Revenue Service and will be green, orange, red or blue in color. These stamps were not used for postage, but rather indicate that a tax was paid on the purchase of the photograph. IRS stamps will appear on photographs sold between August 1, 1864 and August 1, 1866 when a tax was levied on certain “luxury” items in order to raise funds for the war effort. Pianos, carriages and playing cards were also taxed at that time as well.
