A final specialized grouping of 4 period albumen CDVs documenting the personal connections of the Union officer corps. [ca. 1861-5]. This lot features a premier Mathew Brady studio portrait, a fine double portrait from a local Maine gallery, and a poignant "mother and father" pairing from a local Pennsylvania gallery. These images serve as a vital visual record of the domestic lives that sustained the men of the federal armies.

This lot includes:

1. Major William Eliot Furness and Wife: A sophisticated study by Mathew Brady’s New York gallery. Verso bears the prominent Brady backmark and identification: "Maj. Wm Eliot Furness & Wife April 1865." Furness served as a judge advocate for the USCT and on the staff of the 8th Corps. Taken in the final month of the war, this image captures the couple at the moment of Union victory.

2. Unidentified Lieutenant and Wife: A beautifully composed double portrait capturing a Union officer and his wife, taken by J. R. Hall of Biddeford, Maine. The officer is sharply attired in a regulation double-breasted frock coat with lieutenant's shoulder straps, standing beside his seated wife who wears an elegant mid-1860s patterned gown. The reverse features a clean, localized backmark: "J. R. Hall, Photographer, Opp. Post Office, Biddeford, Maine."

3. Lieutenant John Sailor: A full-length study by W. S. Lukenbach of Newport, Pennsylvania. Identified as Lt. John Sailor, Co. F, 13th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Sailor served in a hard-fighting cavalry unit that saw extensive action in the Shenandoah Valley and the Richmond-Petersburg campaigns. He is shown in a formal standing pose, holding his forage cap.

2. Mary J. Sailor: A companion portrait by W. S. Lukenbach. Identified as Mrs. Mary J. Sailor, Wife of Lt. John Sailor. This "Mother and Father" pairing (as noted by a period hand) represents a complete wartime domestic set, allowing the collector to view the soldier and his support at home through the lens of their local community photographer.

This lot highlights the contrast between metropolitan and regional studio styles. The Brady portrait of the Furness couple utilizes the dramatic lighting and formal drapery that defined the "celebrity" style of the era's most famous photographer. In contrast, the regional sittings from Biddeford and Newport offer a more grounded, local perspective, utilizing more modest appointments. Together, they provide a comprehensive survey of how Union officers and their families chose to memorialize their wartime experience.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [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]

Generally excellent with strong tonal depth. The Brady and Biddleford mounts are crisp, and the Lukenbach mounts featurs clear, legible period identifications on the reverse.