This cased 6^th plate ambrotype shows a young Confederate private in a shell jacket with standing collar and shoulder straps. The photographer has lightly tinted his cheeks but has not tinted any other details or the brass buttons, which are clearly simple eagle buttons. Five buttons are visible on the front of his open jacket, but the spacing suggests there is room for only one or two more, and there seems to be a single breast pocket on the wearer’s right (the viewer’s left,) making it unlikely to be a Richmond Depot product, and more likely from another depot or simply a copy of the popular style.

The open jacket shows the soldier is wearing a civilian white shirt with wide black cravat, dark vest, and sports a watch chain. Taken together the image suggests a new soldier at the beginning of the war, not yet fully uniformed but making clear his allegiance from his uniform and determination from the expression on his face, which is nothing but business.

The clarity and detail are excellent. The case is a thermoplastic case with raised floral and geometric designs. The mat, glass, frame and facing pad are in place. We see only a narrow dark area at the upper and lower left corners at the very edge of the image. This comes from the late Bill Turner’s collection. It would make a nice addition to a Confederate display or a study collection of Confederate uniforms.  [sr] [ph:m]

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