Full-length studio albumen CDV. New Orleans, LA: A. Constant, 21 Hospital St. [ca. 1864–1865]. Recto features a striking "pard" study of two soldiers with a signal flag. Verso bears an elaborate A. Constant gallery backmark with a nautical anchor motif, a 1-cent red George Washington "Proprietary" revenue stamp, and extensive period ink identification for Alphonso Lewis of New Orleans and Geo L. Haley of Indiana Co., Penna.

This exceptional CDV portrait depicts two members of the United States Signal Corps, identified as Alphonso Lewis, an officer, and George L. Haley, a private. Both men served in the Signal Corps, a specialized branch responsible for battlefield communications using flags by day and torches by night. The physical connection—one man resting a hand on the other man's shoulder—captures the hallmark "pard" aesthetic of the Carlile collection, signifying the deep bond between these two "wig-wag" operators.

Lewis and Haley are outfitted in standard cavalry-style shell jackets with distinctive Signal Corps cross-flag insignia visible on a sleeve. Both men wear slouch hats and are armed with cavalry sabers, reflecting the mounted status often afforded to signal parties in the field. Most significantly, one man holds a large signal flag on a jointed staff, the primary tool of their trade. The 1-cent proprietary revenue stamp on the reverse dates the image’s sale to the late-war period (1864–1865), consistent with the Union's administrative presence in occupied New Orleans.

The Signal Corps was a small, elite branch whose members often operated in exposed positions to maintain lines of communication. New Orleans served as the headquarters for the Department of the Gulf, making it a central hub for signal operations monitoring Confederate movements along the Mississippi and the coast. This image is a striking visual artifact of that specialized service. 

[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, Stereographs] [Civil War, Union, Confederate]

Generally fine with strong tonal contrast and clarity. Scuffed over the left subject's hat. The mount shows typical age-related toning.