This quarter plate tintype shows a seated infantry corporal seated in a photographer’s studio in front of a painted backdrop picturing a row of conical Sibley tents on the right and wall tents on the left. Hills rise in the background. Walls of a stone fort with artillery pieces ranged along the top also show off to the left background and a large U.S. flag billows to the left at the top of a tall flag pole. A single soldier is painted standing at lower right, holding the muzzle of his musket with the butt on the ground.

Our subject seems to have the beginnings of a moustache and is posed bareheaded, wearing a regulation infantry frock coat with corporal chevrons and displaying the narrow stripe appropriate for that rank on his trouser leg. His chevrons and his trousers have been delicately tinted light blue. His cheeks have been given a thin red blush. His face and uniform are very clear and the photographer has avoided painting his buttons gold to imitate the brass.

There is a small ring of abrasion to the emulsion from the oval mat and a little emulsion loss in a line parallel to the flagpole, but neither distracts from the clear and forceful image of the sitter. The mat has floral motifs. The glass and frame are in place. The case is brown leatherette with a gilt edge border and is separated along the hinge. The red facing pad is present. This is a nice portrait of an infantry non-commissioned officer who fought side-by-side with privates in the ranks and has a serious business look to him that would encourage obedience.  [sr]

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