An individual ninth-plate tintype portrait, [ca 1861]. Housed in its original pocket-sized leatherette wallet-style case with a scalloped brass mat, decorative keeper frame, and functioning brass clasp.

An extraordinary, deeply moving wartime artifact that epitomizes the emotional reality of the frontline Civil War soldier. This ninth-plate tintype features a stark, clear bust portrait of a young woman identified by family records as Anna Amelia Harford Campion. Dressed in a dark, high-collared gown with a delicate white lace collar, she looks directly forward with a somber expression. 

An extensive period inscription inside the case explicitly details the image's perilous journey through the conflict. Hand-written ink inscriptions on the paper lining of the case bottom and the opposite silk pad read:

"This picture of mother Campion went through the Civil War with father Campion / who was held for 9 mo. in Andersonville Prison / 1861 / Anna Amelia Harford / John Campion took this thro (sic) the Civil War with him / married when he came home.

These notes track the wartime struggle of Private John Campion of the 1st Michigan Cavalry. Enlisting out of Grand Rapids, Michigan in August 1861, Campion served as a dedicated horseman in the legendary Michigan Cavalry Brigade. He rode into the war's most brutal theater of operations, surviving the lightning campaigns of the Shenandoah Valley and the monumental cavalry clashes of the Eastern Theater. The ultimate trial came when Campion was captured by Confederate forces at Norton's Ford, enduring nine grueling months inside the notorious stockade of Andersonville Prison in Georgia. Campion clung to this exact case, using the image of his distant fiancée as a psychological anchor. Upon his release and the subsequent collapse of the Confederacy, John returned home to Michigan, fulfilling his promise and marrying Anna in late 1865.

Pocket-sized tintypes housed in compact, durable wallet cases were manufactured in part for soldiers to carry in their pockets on the front. Finding an example that retains such comprehensive provenance - specifically linking this tintype to a survivor of the horrors of Andersonville - represents an artifact of the highest caliber.

[Photography, Early Photography, Historic Photography, Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, Tintypes, Ferrotypes, Cased Images, Wallet Case, Pocket Case, Civil War, Union Cavalry, 1st Michigan Cavalry, Michigan Brigade, Andersonville, Prisoner of War, POW]

Good to Very Good. The plate surface exhibits an even, historic tone with strong registration to the subject's face and attire, showing only minor, expected surface dusting and a few negligible era-appropriate linear handling scuffs. The case is understandably worn from being carried in the field, but remains intact and functional.