Full-length studio albumen CDV. [ca. 1863]. Unmarked mount. Verso bears multiple generations of identification, including a period pencil inscription "Capt Rice + Lieut Rice" and a modern collector's note identifying the subjects as "Lt. William F. Rice, 19th Maine Inf." and "Lt. Charles Edmund Rice, 1st MA Cav / 2nd MA Cav."

This exceptional "pard" image — a term used by Civil War soldiers for their closest companions or "partners" — depicts brothers William F. Rice and Charles Edmund Rice. William served with the 19th Maine Infantry, a hard-fighting regiment in the II Corps that famously helped repulse Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg. Charles Edmund Rice served with both the 1st and 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry. Charles was a battle-hardened trooper who saw significant action in the Eastern Theater and survived a harrowing period as a POW after being captured at the Battle of Aldie in June 1863.

The brothers are posed in a manner that perfectly illustrates the "pard" aesthetic Rick Carlile championed during his tenure as a key contributor and senior editor of Military Images magazine. William (left) stands in his officer's frock coat with a II Corps trefoil badge pinned to his breast, while Charles (right) wears a cavalry shell jacket with striking "Austrian knot" sleeve braid and a cavalry forage cap. The physical connection — Charles resting a hand on William’s shoulder — captures the deep bond common among siblings and comrades facing the uncertainties of the front.

Fraternal "pards" like the Rice brothers represent the especially personal nature of the American Civil War. This photograph serves as a visual testament to the families who sacrificed their sons to the struggle, documented through the lens of two brothers who survived some of the war's most grueling campaigns. It remains a quintessential example of the "pards" series that became a hallmark of the Carlile collection. 

[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]

Excellent tonal depth and clarity. The mount shows minimal age-related wear. The dual identifications on the verso provide a rock-solid provenance for two significant Union officers.