Snapshots of the Past

[Unidentified Union soldier in frock coat, private, kepi, 3rd-5th buttons open on coat] – Historic Reproduction

[Unidentified Union soldier in frock coat, private, kepi, 3rd-5th buttons open on coat], [between 1863 and 1865] — historic photograph
[Unidentified Union soldier in frock coat, private, kepi, 3rd-5th buttons open on coat], [between 1863 and 1865]. Historic photograph from the Historic Print Archive collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

[Unidentified Union soldier in frock coat, private, kepi, 3rd-5th buttons open on coat] comes to life in this historic photograph, reproduced from the original with every detail intact. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. It brings character to any room and makes a memorable gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

[Unidentified Union soldier in frock coat, private, kepi, 3rd-5th buttons open on coat]

Order a print

Secure checkout · SSL encryptedPowered by Stripe and PayPal

Free shipping in the lower 48 states. The checkout page shows the picture, size and price before you pay.

Sign up for our newsletter

Sent securely. No purchase needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Ask about licensing or this print

The coat is the first thing to notice in this ambrotype, with its third through fifth buttons left open over a frock coat, and the kepi marks the sitter as a Union soldier. The record's subject headings tie the portrait to African American military service during the Civil War, though the man himself remains unidentified. Ambrotypes were inexpensive glass-plate portraits, widely made in the early 1860s, so they let ordinary soldiers and their families own a likeness that could be carried in a pocket or sent home.

Created / published[between 1863 and 1865]
Medium1 photograph : ambrotype.
GenrePortrait photographs 1860-1870.Ambrotypes 1860-1870.
NotesGladstone Collection. Published in: Eyes of the nation : a visual history of the United States / Vincent Virga and curators of the Library of Congress ; historical commentary by Alan Brinkley. New York : Knopf, 1997. Unprocessed in PR 13 CN 1995:113.221 (AMBROTYPE 4).
SubjectsAfrican Americans--Military service--1860-1870. United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Military personnel--Union.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan1,465 × 1,168 px · prints to 5 × 4 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-218473

More from the Historic Print Archive collection

Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.

Related pictures

Dead Confederate soldier, in trenches of Fort Mahone in front of Petersburg, Va., April 3, 1865Dead Confederate soldier, in trenches of Fort Mahone in front of Petersburg, Va.Daytona Beach, Florida. Young boy whose ambition is to become a soldierDaytona Beach, Florida. Young boy whose ambition is to become a soldierWould the soldier give her the ballot?Would the soldier give her the ballot?[Afro-American soldier charging with bayonet fixed, in combat training, U.S. Naval training center, Great Lakes, Ill.][Afro-American soldier charging with bayonet fixed, in combat training, U.S. NavA Soldier's lot is not a happy one / Th. Nast.A Soldier's lot is not a happy one / Th. Nast.Certificate of honor: Awarded to - of Co. - Regt. - for bravery and good conduct, as a soldier, in the cause of his countryCertificate of honor: Awarded to - of Co. - Regt. - for bravery and good conduct