June 11, 2010 -- In an ironic twist of history, this newly discovered photo of two slave children sold for more than the original price of one of the slaves depicted in the image.

This 150-year-old photo of two African-American slave children in ragged clothes was found in an attic in North Carolina. An accompanying document indicated that one of the boys was named John, while the other still has not been identified.

The photo album that included this photo was purchased by Keya Morgan, a collector based out of New York City, for $30,000 dollars. According to the document, for which Morgan paid an additional $20,000, John was sold for $1,150 in 1854.

While photos of slaves have surfaced in the past, images from the period of slave children are considerably more difficult to come by.

According to the Associated Press, this photo is even more of an anomaly considering the picture was taken by the photo studio operated by Mathew Brady, a famous 19th-century photographer. Brady was known for his portraits of famous figures of the day, including President Abraham Lincoln and General Robert E. Lee, according to the wire service.

This particular photograph was taken in 1862, shortly after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Such images were used as propaganda by abolitionists to build support for the Union cause.

Image credit: AP Photo/Keya Morgan, LincolnImages.com

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