A premier vignetted bust portrait CDV of Henry C. Weir. [ca. 1864-1865]. The image is exceptionally crisp, showing Weir in his officer's frock coat with prominent shoulder straps. The front of the mount bears the bold, period ink signature, "H. C. Weir, A.A.G." The reverse features the distinguished gallery backmark of Mathew Brady’s National Photographic Portrait Galleries, along with modern research notations identifying him as captain, assistant adjutant general, 2nd Division, Cavalry Corps and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient.

Weir (1839-1927) was a distinguished staff officer who served as an assistant adjutant general in the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac. His service record, which began with the 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry, is defined by extreme bravery under fire, culminating in the actions that earned him the nation's highest military honor. Weir was a key member of the staff of Gen. David McMurtrie Gregg, commander of the 2nd Division, Cavalry Corps.

Weir earned the Medal of Honor for his "extraordinary heroism" on 24 June 1864 at St. Mary's Church, Virginia. During a period of intense combat where the Union cavalry was heavily outnumbered and facing a flanking maneuver by Confederate forces under Wade Hampton, Weir repeatedly braved a "withering fire" to deliver critical orders and rally the troops. Weir’s official citation notes that he, as "the only officer of the relevant staff present, voluntarily led a charge against the enemy, and by his heroic conduct and example encouraged the men to successful resistance."

This image is a quintessential Brady sitting. The vignetted style focuses entirely on Weir’s determined expression, a hallmark of the portraits taken of the Union’s most celebrated heroes in Brady’s Washington and New York galleries. This portrait — and his Medal of Honor — remind us that staff officers in the Cavalry Corps were frequently in the thick of the fighting.

[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 tonal depth is superb, and the signature remains dark and highly legible. The Brady backmark is clear, and the mount shows only very minor age-related toning.