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Anonymous Photographer; Young Union Soldier in Uniform; image 1
Anonymous Photographer; Young Union Soldier in Uniform; image 2
Lot 68

Anonymous Photographer
Young Union Soldier in Uniform

Ending from 17 July 2025, 12:00 EDT
Online, New York

Sold for US$5,376 inc. premium

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Anonymous Photographer

Young Union Soldier in Uniform, c. 1862
Hand-colored quarter-plate tintype.
4 1/8 x 3 1/8 in. (10.5 x 7.9 cm.)

Footnotes

Provenance
Swann Galleries, 21 October 2008, Sale 2158, Lot 7
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Note
This extraordinary example of American Civil War field portraiture depicts a young soldier holding a cigar in one hand and his military-issued kepi in the other. The boy's handsomely hand-tinted, battle-worn uniform appears too large for his small frame, and its missing buttons and scattered holes indicate the brutal conditions of his encampment.

An oval-shaped window mat – typical of Civil War portraits – originally framed the painted backdrop and the soldier's full body. This uncased work offers a glimpse into the photographer's environment, from the worn studio floorboards and side screens to the tattered edges of the backdrop.

Additional information

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