Sixth plate studio portrait ambrotype beneath a dark chocolate-brown embossed paper mat featuring an oval aperture, corner foliate scrollwork, and a braided strapwork border. N.p., ca. 1861–1862.

A gritty, seated half-length double portrait of two bearded Confederate soldiers seated shoulder-to-shoulder, heavily armed and displaying their weapons. Both men wear "Battle Shirts" typical in early war Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of operations. The soldier at left holds an Enfield Rifle Saber Bayonet upright across his chest. The soldier at right firmly grips what appears to be a 6" Colt Model 1849 Pocket Revolver, presenting it leveled horizontally across his midsection.

The use of an embossed pressed-paper mat in place of standard stamped brass is a hallmark occasionally encountered in Southern wartime studios, where Northern naval blockades and severe wartime shortages created acute scarcity of imported photographic metals, foil mats, and preservers. When paired with a portrait of irregularly clad and heavily armed Rebel soldiers, it stands as a substantial relic of the southern experience during the Civil War. 

[Ambrotype, Sixth Plate, Civil War, Confederate, CSA, Armed, Comrades, Revolver, Pistol, Sword, Artillery Short Sword, Sidearm, Paper Mat, Embossed Paper, Blockade Shortage, Half Case, Militaria, 1860s]

Good condition. The plate retains strong focus and contrast. A vertical milky imperfection in the emulsion is present in the field to the right of the right-hand soldier, which does not impact the sitter. The embossed paper mat is intact with crisp relief detailing.