Sixth-plate half-length studio ambrotype. [Studio of Charles R. Rees], n.d. Half leatherette case. 

A hand-tinted and gilt studio portrait of an unidentified Confederate solder, standing erect in frame double-armed with a bayonetted musket and side knife in-hand. He is dressed in a pristine light-colored frock coat and matching trousers, expertly detailed by the photographer with hand-gilt buttons. The soldier stares squarely at the photographer's lens, evoking a sense of great solemnity. 

Charles Richard Rees (1830-1914) is best known for his portraits of Confederate soldiers featuring superb clarity, expert coloring, and a "pearl-like" quality to their emulsion.  Among collectors, he is widely considered the greatest Southern portrait photographer operating during the Civil 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, Stereographs]