Quarter plate hand-gilt ambrotype. Full leatherette case. 

An artistic portrait of a Civil War bugler who served with Company B of an unknown New York infantry regiment. An older soldier, the bearded subject beams with pride for his likeness. He grips his brass bugle, slung across his chest with a thin cord, under his forearm, while his opposite arm rests on a sword or bayonet affixed to his belt. Gilding, skillfully added by the photographer, enhances the various brass accents of his uniform. This particular photographer appears to have been highly skilled, as they produced a remarkably clear and well-lit image that looks nearly three-dimensional in hand. 

Civil War buglers played bugles to communicate orders, coordinate troop movements, and regulate camp life. When needed, they also picked up rifles and fought. Perhaps it is this unique combination of skills that makes Civil War bugler images so desirable to collectors. This is a top-shelf example.

[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] [Musician, Civil War Musician, Music, Music History]