Choice collector's lot of three strong Civil War soldier images. This lot includes: 

1. Ninth plate clear ambrotype. Full leatherette case. 

A very clear portrait of a confident officer with his arms folded across his chest. An ornate sword hangs at his side while he stands at a jaunty angle for the cameraman. Besides his most impressive fancy epaulettes, this plate features a very clear view of his M1851 eagle belt plate, which appears to feature the applied silver laurel wreath. This image, which likely dates to the very beginning of the Civil War based on the uniform details, has identification possibility due to the man's very distinct appearance, particularly his hairline. 

2. Ninth plate ruby ambrotype. Patriotic brass mat and fine full thermoplastic case with patriotic motif. 

Wonderful portrait of an early New Hampshire infantryman sporting a rarely-seen "Purinton and Ham" hat.  Constructed of a salt-and-pepper brownish gray wool, this ostentatious (and unpopular) headgear was designed to repel rainwater and send it farther down the back than a hat without a brim. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th New Hampshire Infantry all received these hats at the very beginning of the Civil War. This strikingly handsome corporal belonged to one of these regiments' company "G" based on the brass letter pinned to the front of his Purinton and Ham. Of note is the scarce star-pattern brass mat that frames the image in a minty, equally-patriotic thermoplastic case. All three objects are highly desirable to collectors.

3. Quarter-plate tintype Full leatherette case.

A portrait of an armed Union soldier who displays an interesting mix of gear for his likeness, including an uncommonly-seen canteen. Posed in front of a backdrop known to be associated with the early days of the Army of the Potomac, both his jacket and reinforced trousers place him in the cavalry. Curiously, he poses with a decidedly non-cavalry weapon, a rifled musket, which may simply have been a photographer's prop. It is believed that this unusually bucolic backdrop was used at Camp Graham, the Washington, D.C. headquarters of Gen. Lawrence Pike Graham prior to the Union siege of Yorktown, Virginia. This unknown soldier was likely one of his men. 

[Photography, Early Photography, Historic Photography, Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, Tintypes, Cased Images, Union Cases, Albumen Photographs, CDVs, Carte de Visites, Cartes de Visite, Carte-de-visite, Cartes-de-visite, CDV, Cabinet Cards, Stereoviews, Stereocards] [Civil War, Union, Confederate]