The Voice of Nettie Mudd

[Laurie Verge]

Unless the officers assigned to the fort had some fancy furniture and carpeting to send down to the carpentry shop - along with bath water and spiffy clothes - I just don't see this photo being taken at Fort Jefferson. To me, the table reaks of late-Victorian style especially. Did any of the officers have wives living with them on the island? That furniture looks like a wife's touch - not a working officer's quarters without the distaff.

Do prison records still exist that would show a log of who visited the island between 1865-69, especially for the purpose of photography? How long did the yellow fever epidemic last there? Surely there was no incoming during that period. Wouldn't a visitor have to have permission from the War Department? Wouldn't they have to travel by military supply ships?

Okay, Mr. Elliott, divulge your secrets!