Slave Photo Discovered From Robert E. Lee's Home

The National Park Service has acquired a rare Civil War-era photograph of an enslaved woman at Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's home in Virginia.

The previously unknown photograph depicts Selina Gray, the head housekeeper to Lee and his family. The photograph was unveiled Thursday at Lee's Arlington House plantation overlooking the nation's capital.

An inscription reads "Gen Lees Slaves Arlington Va." Park officials say identifiable images of slaves are extremely rare.

National Park Service spokeswoman Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles says the photograph was purchased on eBay in September for $700 after a volunteer found it online. The seller was based in England and found the photo in a box of unwanted images. The nonprofit Save Arlington House Inc. donated funds to acquire it.

The photograph will be unveiled to the public Saturday.