Full-length studio portrait albumen CDV. Cincinnati: J. P. Ball, 30 W. 4th St., [ca. 1862-4]. Photographer’s imprint to mount recto. Red ink inventory number 2041 to mount recto. Pencil identification to mount verso reads: "J P Ball."

This compelling double portrait captures two Union soldiers, or "pards," in a study of contrasting military attire. The soldier on the left wears a four-button sack coat with corporal’s chevrons prominently visible on both sleeves, his hand tucked into his breast in a classic martial pose. His companion on the right is enveloped in a heavy enlisted man’s greatcoat with a shoulder cape, his arms stoically crossed. The distinctive red ink number "2041" on the mount recto identifies this as a Dead Letter Office (DLO) image — one of the thousands of "lost" photographs sent through the mail that never reached their destination and were eventually displayed at post offices across the United States. 

The image was produced by the celebrated African-American photographer James Presley Ball at his prominent Cincinnati gallery. Cincinnati served as a massive logistical hub for the Western Theater, and the studio of J.P. Ball was a premier destination for soldiers passing through the Queen City. Ball was one of the most successful and artistically gifted photographers of the mid-19th century, known for his technical precision and his status as a leading Black entrepreneur and abolitionist. Images from Ball’s studio are highly sought after by collectors, not only for their connection to the Western armies but for the impeccable quality of the sittings. These two soldiers likely posed for this memento before embarking on campaigns in Tennessee or Georgia, only for the physical record of their friendship to be lost to the postal system.

Because this image was salvaged from the Dead Letter Office, the specific identities of these two men remain a mystery. Their corporal's stripes and heavy winter gear suggest they were seasoned volunteers in the Western armies, possibly part of the veteran regiments that transitioned through Ohio during the middle years of the war.

[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]

The image is in good to very good condition, exhibiting some surface soiling and minor chemical spotting consistent with its history as a mailed artifact. The tonal contrast remains strong, particularly in the details of the greatcoat and the corporal's chevrons.