Full-length standing studio portrait albumen CDV. [ca. April-May 1861]. A magnificent, high-contrast study of an infantry corporal dressed in the 7th NYSM distinctive light gray chinchilla-cloth uniform coat with dark trim and visible non-commissioned officer corporal chevrons on his sleeve. Standing on a classic diamond-patterned studio floor backdrop, he is captured in full heavy marching order, carrying a packed knapsack with an attached rolled woolen blanket high on his shoulders. He wears crossed white canvas crossbelts, a waist belt with an attached cartridge box, and a slung canvas haversack. He rests his right hand on the sling of his long rifled musket, which is slung vertically over his shoulder with the barrel pointing upward behind him. The reverse is entirely clean. 

The 7th New York State Militia, famously dubbed the "Silk Stocking Regiment" because its ranks were filled with the sons of Manhattan's elite merchant and social dynasties, carved out an immortal place in Civil War history. Following the fall of Fort Sumter and the total isolation of Washington D.C., this regiment was the very first volunteer unit to answer Abraham Lincoln’s desperate call for troops. Marching out of New York City on 19 April 19 1861, they orchestrated a high-stakes tactical advance through Annapolis, Maryland, repairing destroyed railroad tracks under constant threat of ambush to successfully reach and secure the capital during the most precarious weeks of the war.

This specific portrait beautifully distills that 30-day mobilization window into an artistic masterpiece. While typical militia sittings show soldiers in pristine dress configurations for parade, portraits capturing an elite "Silk Stocking" soldier in full, authentic heavy field kit are far more scarce. The flawless, almost whimsical execution of the pose, paired with the pristine definition of every strap, buckle, canteen line, and weapon component, makes it very clear why this image stood as an absolute personal favorite within the Carlile collection.

[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.