A significant documentary albumen CDV of the regiment’s first national colors. [ca. 1864]. The mount features a detailed printed credit block identifying the subject as the "Flag of the 124th Reg't N. Y. Vols., Presented by THE LADIES OF ORANGE, SEPTEMBER, 1862." It lists the unit’s initial battle record through Mine Run and notes the card was For Sale at Remillard's, 82 Water St., and at the Newburgh Bookstores.

This image depicts the original stand of colors carried by the 124th New York Orange Blossoms from their muster until early 1864. This is the very flag that flew over the regiment during their iconic and desperate defense of Devil's Den at Gettysburg on 2 July 1863. During that engagement, the regiment’s color guard was nearly annihilated; color sergeant Isaac Nichols was killed, and several others were wounded while defending these stars and stripes. The visible damage - the jagged, shredded fly and the missing portions of the silk - was largely sustained during the heavy musketry of the 1863 campaigns. Following Gettysburg, these colors were retired and returned to New York, replaced by the stand seen in earlier lots.

This CDV is a premier example of Civil War relic photography. By capturing the flag in its original tattered state, the photographer provided veterans and their families with a tangible symbol of the regiment’s baptism by fire.  Unlike portraits of individuals, these flag images served as a collective memorial to all who fell beneath them. The specific mention of September 1862 on the mount ties this flag to the regiment’s hopeful departure from Goshen, contrasting sharply with the battle-worn object seen here.

This flag was present for the death of Colonel Ellis and Major Cromwell at the Devil's Den and witnessed the unit's transformation from a green regiment into a hardened combat force. Images of this specific stand are exceptionally rare and highly valued by historians of the Army of the Potomac.

[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] [Flags, Patriotic Textiles]

Strong tonal contrast and clarity. The printed mount is well-preserved with a clear, legible battle list. A premier original photograph for the specialist collector of Gettysburg iconography.