Collection of 25 albumen CDVs. Various photographers and locations, ca. 1861-5. Several mounts feature photographer's imprints, period ink inscriptions, modern research identifications and canceled US Internal Revenue stamps.

This extensive collection features 25 cartes-de-visite, offering a sweeping visual study of Union military leadership. The archive includes an excellent mix of field-grade and line officers, displaying a wide variety of uniforms, poses, corps badges and studio backdrops. The reverses of the mounts reveal a mix of period inscriptions, modern research notes and prestigious photographer's backmarks from across the North, providing definitive identifications for many of the distinguished subjects.

Gathering 25 distinct portraits in a single lot presents an instant, curated gallery of Federal leadership. The identified subjects span a remarkable breadth of service, from Eastern Theater artillery commanders to Western Theater cavalrymen, and include several officers who led legendary fighting regiments or suffered wounds in major engagements like Gettysburg.

The lot includes: 

1. Bust portrait of Lt. Col. C. Ross Smith, 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry. He served extensively with the Army of the Potomac's Cavalry Corps and commanded the regiment during the Gettysburg campaign.

2. Seated portrait of Capt. Jason Carlisle, 4th Maine Infantry. Carlisle was WIA at Fredericksburg in 1862. 

3. Standing portrait of Col. Albert Ordway, 24th Massachusetts Infantry, who famously served as the Provost Marshal of Richmond at the war's end.

4. Standing portrait of Col. George von Schack, 7th New York Infantry. A highly capable German-born officer, he led his veteran regiment through numerous major battles, earning a brevet promotion to brigadier general. Von Schack was WIA at Antietam. 

5. Bust profile of Brvt. Brig. Gen. Henry Larcom Abbot, a brilliant engineer who commanded the Union siege artillery train at Petersburg.

6. Bust profile of an identified Union officer, inscribed on the front as Brvt. Brig. Gen. C. G. Loring.

7. Bust profile of Lt. John A. Fox, 2nd Massachusetts Infantry.

8. Seated portrait of Capt. Jacob Bird, 132nd Ohio Infantry.

9. Standing portrait featuring a J.F. Ryder backmark, identified on the reverse as Corp. Isaac N. Phillips, 128th Ohio Infantry, who died in August 1864. 

10. Seated portrait of an unidentified Union officer with an impressive beard and an E. & H.T. Anthony backmark.

11. Standing studio portrait of an unidentified Union officer (Fernando Lessaur, NY, backmark).

12. Oval bust portrait of an unidentified Union officer.

13. Seated portrait of Col. John Kennett, 4th Ohio Cavalry, a crucial early-war cavalry commander in the Western Theater.

14. Bust profile of Col. Clinton D. MacDougall, 111th New York Infantry. He was severely wounded multiple times, including at Gettysburg, and rose to command a brigade in the Second Corps. This image of MacDougall dates to the post-War era, when he became a successful businessman. 

15. Bust portrait of an unidentified Union officer (C.D. Fredricks backmark).

16. Seated portrait of Lt. George P. Ladd, 45th Massachusetts Infantry.

17. Standing portrait of a confident unidentified Union officer.

18. Standing portrait of Major Harvey Farabee, 1st West Virginia Cavalry, who rode with the aggressive mountaineer cavalry through the Shenandoah Valley campaigns.

19. Bust vignette portrait of an unidentified Union officer.

20. Standing portrait of an unidentified Union officer.

21. Standing portrait of Lt. Albert G. Bowles, 3rd Massachusetts Cavalry.

22. Seated portrait of an unidentified Union officer.

23. Standing portrait of an unidentified Union officer, noted on the reverse as wearing a Second Corps trefoil badge.

24. Standing portrait of an unidentified Union officer (Albany, NY, backmark).

25. Standing portrait of an unidentified Union officer (Harrisburg, PA, backmark).

[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 images range from good to excellent condition. The albumen surfaces exhibit varying degrees of age-related fading, minor surface wear and the soft tonality typical of period photography, but all retain strong clarity and visual character.