FULL PLATE AMBROTYPE OF MISSISSIPPI CONFEDERATE OFFICER, THE FIRST MADE AVAILABLE FOR ACQUISITION AT PUBLIC AUCTION IN YEARS

Full plate studio portrait ambrotype. N.p., circa 1861-1862. Custom wood wall frame. With informational plaque identifying subject to frame recto. With modern note typed identifying subject's death to frame verso. 

An exceptional portrait of Dr. John Newton Helm, Jr., Company A, 2nd Mississippi Cavalry. The size, quality, and content of this image rank it among the best extant examples of southern photography made during the Civil War. 

The bearded, short-haired Helm is seated while wearing an ornate gray cavalry officer's uniform. He grips a sheathed M1840 Cavalry Saber tightly in his fist. His other hand cradles his black felt tricorn hat, its brim pinned up with a so-called "Jeff Davis" eagle insignia. The skilled artist touched up the entire image with delicate tinting and a tasteful amount of gold embellishments.

Helm, the son of a wealthy plantation owner, lived in Natchez prior to hostilities. When the fighting started Helm rushed to join Company A of the 2nd Mississippi, also known as the "Choctaw Rangers" or "Adams Troop." This regiment became the core of the famous "Jeff Davis Legion." Helm died of disease in 1862. 

Interestingly, this is a less common "relievo"-style ambrotype, a technique where the artist only applied a black background behind the subject. When combined with a slightly tinted blank emulsion around said subject, it created a vivid, almost three-dimensional effect. This technique is strongly associated with the work of Charles Rees. Rees was a Richmond photographer who made some of the highest quality and most historic Confederate ambrotypes of the Civil War era. While we cannot definitively connect this image to Rees, we note that Helm spent considerable time in Richmond. In fact, he died there in 1862 after spending months in both Chimborazo and Warrenton Hospitals. 

Regardless, collectors active on the show circuit will no doubt recognize this incredible photograph as the centerpiece of both Pat Booth's and his dear friend Dennis Headlee's famous "Southrons" display. "Southrons" won Best of Show awards at nearly every major Civil War show throughout the country, and the Helm image was the cornerstone of that success. It has also been featured in prestigious publications such as Military Images Magazine. The Helm portrait would be a highlight of even the most advanced collections of Civil War photography. 

[Civil War, Union, Confederate, Mississippi, Cavalry, Jeff Davis Legion] [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]