Three-quarter length seated portrait albumen CDV. New York & Washington, D.C.: Mathew Brady's National Photographic Portrait Galleries, [ca. 1864]. A striking, crisp study capturing Baird seated in a carved studio armchair, attired in an officer's frock coat with single-bar lieutenant shoulder straps. His slouch hat rests on the table beside him, clearly displaying a brass Maltese Cross—the proud insignia of the Fifth Army Corps. The lower front mount carries Brady's classic New York imprint. The reverse features a bold, central Brady's National Photographic Portrait Galleries stamp, an early pencil signature reading "Lt. Geo Beaird / 16th Mich," and extensive collector tracking detailing his eventful service. 

George Beaird of Detroit, Michigan, boasts an incredible combat pedigree with the 16th Michigan Volunteer Infantry, a hard-fighting Fifth Corps regiment that famously helped execute the desperate defense of Little Round Top at Gettysburg.

Beaird entered the service as a corporal at the regiment's inception and was repeatedly promoted for gallantry under fire. He shed his blood for the Union on two separate occasions at the same notorious battlefield sector: first as a non-commissioned officer on 27 June 1862, at the Battle of Gaines' Mill (noted as Poplar Grove Church on the mount), and again exactly two years later during the Siege of Petersburg at the Battle of Peebles' Farm (Poplar Grove), shortly after receiving his commission as a Second Lieutenant. Recovering from his wounds, he was elevated to Captain on 7 September 1864.

The combination of a razor-sharp, premium portrait by Mathew Brady's studio, a clear Fifth Corps Maltese Cross hat insignia device, and an intense, multi-wounding roster record makes this a top-tier artifact that will highly appeal to advanced Michigan and Army of the Potomac specialists.

[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 print and mount are in excellent condition, showing sharp detail, strong contrast, and square corners with only minor age-related toning on the back.