Figure 4

Citation

R. W. Addis (Washington, DC). “Mary Tebe.” circa 1865. Greg French Collection. Mirror of Race, 22 Jan. 2021, mirrorofrace.bc.edu/items/show/90. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Title

Mary Tebe

Subject

Mary Tebe

Creator

R. W. Addis (Washington, DC)

Date

circa 1865

Type

Studio Portrait

Identifier

Figure 4

Rights Holder

Greg French Collection

Original Format

Carte de visite, albumen print

Factual Commentary

Mary Tebe (also known as Marie or Mary Tepe, French Mary, and Zouave Mary) was a vivandiere with Pennsylvania’s 114th Regiment, Collis’ Zouaves. Zouaves were units in the Civil War that modeled their uniforms on French Algerian troops; as a vivandiere, Mary Tebe was a paid member of the regiment who served in many support roles, but especially as a nurse on and off the battlefield. Here, she wears a uniform modeled on that of Collis’ Zouaves; she carries her cask to administer water or spirits to wounded soldiers, and she wears the Kearny Cross that she was awarded for her bravery at the battle of Fredricksburg. Tebe also served at Gettysburg. For a contemporary description of Zouave Mary, see Four Brothers in Blue, by Robert Goldthwaite Carter, pages 281-3.