A group of ten (10) original carte-de-visite photographs of Union soldiers and officers, each depicted wearing a distinct corps badge or related military medal. The collection includes a variety of studio settings with backmarks spanning Pennsylvania, New York, and Washington, D.C.

This specialized grouping highlights the organizational insignia system implemented by the Union Army to foster esprit de corps and maintain battlefield order. The lot provides excellent representation across several major combat organizations, including the Western Theater's 14th Corps (famed for its defense at Chickamauga under Thomas) and 20th Corps, alongside Eastern Theater mainstays like the 18th Corps (Army of the James) and the 19th Corps. 

Specialty lots focusing on the material culture of Union corps badges are  prized by collectors for their visual appeal and historical depth. Rather than standard, anonymous uniform poses, each image in this group represents a soldier who intentionally displayed his unit pride for the camera. More fundamentally, they help narrow down unidentified portraits for additional research. 

The lot includes: 

1. Officer with 19th Corps Badge: Vignette portrait of an officer wearing spectacles and a double-breasted frock coat with a Maltese cross-style 19th Corps badge pinned to his breast. Backmark: Chas. H. Danforth, Cambridgeport [MA]. Verso includes a period inscription of "Jan 1865" and a notation reading "19th Corps Badge."

2. Officer in Frock Coat: Full-length standing portrait of an officer with his hand resting on a decorative studio column, holding his cap. A promenent 5th Corps badge is sewn to his jacket.  Backmark: Fred Clark, Harrisburg, PA.

3. Officer with 14th Corps Badge: Portrait of an officer with a prominent beard wearing an acorn-shaped badge representing the 14th Corps. Verso includes a pencil notation reading "14th Corps Badge."

4. Officer with 20th Corps Star Badge: Seated portrait of an officer with a military sash, displaying a cross badge denoting the Sixth Corps on his coat.

5. Vignette of a Young Officer: A sharp shoulder-up portrait of a young Union officer with a small corps badge or medal pinned to his coat. Verso carries a pencil notation reading 2nd/8th Corps.

6. Seated Officer in Fatigue Blouse: A high-contrast portrait of a seated officer with a full beard, wearing a multi-button fatigue jacket with a Second Corps badge pinned on top of his cap. Backmark: E.M. Van Aken, Lowville, NY.

7. Soldier and Companion Group Portrait: A full-length portrait depicting a standing Union soldier in a forage cap alongside a seated woman in a period dress. The soldier is wearing a Fifth Corps badge. Backmark: Vanderzee & Hays, Albany, NY.

8. Bearded Officer with 20th Corps Star Badge: Vignette portrait of an officer with a long beard wearing a Fifth Corps pinned to his breast. Backmark: Henry Ulke, 278 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.

9. Standing Officer with Cap: Full-length portrait of a slender officer holding his slouch cap, on which is affixed a badge possibly denoting the Fifth Corps. Backmark: Henry Ulke, 278 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C.

10. Officer with 18th Corps Badge: Vignette portrait of a young officer displaying an 18th Corps badge (a distinct three-leaf clover or trefoil variant with a square/cross pattern). Backmark: O.H. Willard's Galleries, 1206 Chestnut St., Philadelphia. The reverse also features a green 3-cent proprietary revenue stamp and a pencil notation reading 18th Corps.

[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]

Overall very good. The majority of the albumen prints exhibit clear details and deep contrast. The mounts show typical uniform age-toning, edge softening, and minor corner wear associated with period album insertion.