This is not a photograph of Vilet Lester nor is it related to the Joseph Allred collection containing the Lester letter. Although this original photograph is held in Duke's Special Collections Library, we know virtually nothing about its origins. The type of photography used indicates that this photograph could have been taken ca. 1880s - 1900. The people depicted are most likely tenant farmers or sharecroppers and not slaves.
(Cite as Picture file, Special Collections Library, Duke University)