Three-quarter length standing study albumen CDV. [ca. 1864]. Unclipped mount with no photographer’s imprint. Pencil inscription to mount verso reads: "George H. Ellis / Co F 1st USSS." Further pencil notation reads: "came From Co. F 4th Ver." A 2-cent blue "Express" revenue stamp is affixed to the verso, dated via a hand-cancelled cross.

George H. Ellis was a member of Company F, 1st United States Sharp Shooters (USSS), better known as Berdan’s Sharpshooters. This company was recruited almost exclusively from the state of Vermont, as noted by the verso inscription linking him to the 4th Vermont. Berdan’s men were the most feared marksmen of the Civil War, selected through rigorous shooting trials where they had to place ten consecutive shots in a target at 200 yards with an average distance of no more than five inches from the center. 

Ellis represents the elite tier of the Union volunteer, transitioning from the 4th Vermont Infantry to the 1st U.S. Sharp Shooters (Berdan’s) after passing the regiment's rigorous marksmanship trials. His service is defined by his presence on the front lines of the war's most brutal engagements, culminating in a significant combat wound received on 5 May1864, during the opening chaos of the Battle of the Wilderness. The 1864 revenue stamp on the reverse of this CDV provides a chronological link to his recovery; this photo was likely taken while he was convalescing, or shortly after his return to duty.

Ellis is captured in a classic military pose, resting his hand on a studio pedestal. He wears a standard four-button sack coat and a forage cap. While sharpshooters are famously associated with their distinct green uniforms, by the late-war period (indicated by the 1864 revenue stamp), many in the field transitioned to standard blue due to supply shortages. The image remains a rare, documented likeness of a man belonging to the Union’s most elite tactical skirmishing unit.

[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] [Civil War, Union, Confederate]

The image is in generally excellent condition, featuring strong tonal contrast and sharp detail across the primary subject with minimal fading. The mount remains structurally sound with a well-preserved 1864 revenue stamp, showing only typical minor age-related toning.