This is an oval bust view of a Union infantryman wearing his regulation US infantry dress coat buttoned at the collar, but showing a bit of what seems to be a striped necktie and a privately purchased vest. The photographer delicately tinted the piping of his collar light blue to mark him as being in the infantry. He also applied touch of gold to his uniform buttons and some thin faint red indicates he livened up the soldier’s cheeks a bit as well. The emulsion shows craquelure on the face and upper chest and a little staining on the right edge of his head near the ear. Please see our photos. The image is matted, glassed, framed and cased in thermoplastic case still bearing the maker’s label in the back, under the image, reading, “Holmes, Booth & Hayden’s DAGUERREOTYPE, PHOTOGRAPHIC AND Ambrotype Goods, Of every description.” The condition of the case is very good, with no chips or cracks. The velvet facing pad has purplish tones with an impressed geometric-floral design showing just some light rubs, and you can’t get much more Victorian in styling than that and with raised floral and geometric motifs on both sides of the case.

As with most unidentified images, we don’t know the soldier’s fate, but image is typical of those left at home by a departing soldier or sent home as a keepsake or memento by a soldier embarking on a great adventure, and a very uncertain future.  [sr][ph:L]

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