Vignetted studio portrait framed albumen CDV. Philadelphia: Wenderoth, Taylor & Brown, [1864]. Type to CDV recto identifies the children as Frank, Frederick and Alice. Photographer’s imprint to CDV verso. 

Description to verso reads in full: “‘The Children of the Battle Field.’ / This is a copy of the Ambrotype found in the hands of Sergeant Humiston of the 154th N.Y. Volunteers as he lay dead on the Battlefield of Gettysburg. / The proceeds of the sale of the copies are appropriated to the support and education of the Orphan Children. / This picture is private property and can not be copied without wronging the Orphans for whom it is published. Philadelphia, Dec. 3d. 1864. J. Francis Bourne.”

The iconic portrait of Frank, Frederick, and Alice, the children of Amos Humiston of the 154th New York Infantry. Humiston was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg, but his identity was at first unknown. An original ambrotype of his three children was found clutched in his hand.

The ambrotype came into the possession of Dr. J. Francis Bournes of Philadelphia, who traveled to Gettysburg to help tend to the wounded after the battle. Bournes vowed to identify the soldier and return his image to the family. Newspapers soon printed a description of the subjects in the hopes that someone could connect them to the fallen soldier. It worked. Bourne would later collaborate with local photographers in Philadelphia to produce copies of the Humiston ambrotype for the benefit of a home for orphaned children of the battlefield in Gettysburg.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Gettysburg, Little Round Top, Culp’s Hill, Pickett’s Charge, Devil’s Den] [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]