Full-length studio portrait albumen CDV. Brooklyn, New York: C. H. Williamson’s Photographic Portrait Gallery, 245 Fulton St., [1863]. Photographer’s imprint to mount verso. Period ink identifications and gift inscriptions to mount verso read: "Henry Freeman Lincoln / June. 1863. / Mrs. C. F. Bowden / with Frank’s love / July 3d, 1863." Pencil notation adds: "47th NY."

This exceptional full-length study captures Henry Freeman Lincoln in heavy marching order, presenting a textbook example of Rick's beloved "backpack guy" motif. Lincoln is posed in the distinctive state-jacket uniform of the 47th New York, the "Washington Greys," featuring dark piping and shoulder tabs. His forage cap is clearly marked with the regimental number, "47." He is fully equipped for the field, carrying a double-bag knapsack with a neatly rolled blanket, a cloth-covered canteen slung forward and his rifled musket held at his side. The reverse of the mount is a spectacular provenance piece, featuring multiple layers of period inscriptions, including a gift notation dated 3 July 1863, the final day of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Lincoln enlisted in June 1861, just as the 47th New York was forming in Brooklyn. By the time this portrait was taken in June 1863, the regiment was seasoned, having participated in the grueling expeditions along the South Carolina and Georgia coasts. The date on the reverse, 3 July 1863, suggests this image was a memento sent home just as the regiment was performing garrison and picket duty in the Department of the South, or perhaps during its transition back to New York to help quell the impending Draft Riots later that month. 

Lincoln’s service continued through the regiment’s most significant combat at the Battle of Olustee in Florida in 1864, where the 47th took heavy casualties. He eventually returned to Brooklyn, where he remained a respected member of the veteran community. This likeness, sent with "Frank’s love" to Mrs. Bowden, remains a powerful testament to the personal bonds that sustained the Brooklyn volunteers through years of Southern coastal service.

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