Half-length albumen CDV studio portrait of Col. Percy Wyndham, 1st New Jersey Cavalry. New York: Mathew Brady, n.d. Brady imprint to mount recto and verso. SIGNED by Wyndham with rank to mount verso: "P. Wyndham / Col."


In this portrait, the photographer clearly captured Wyndham's uniform jacket, a medal proudly displayed on his chest, and colonel's straps on his shoulders.

Commissioned into Field & Staff of the 1st New Jersey Calvary on 19 February 1862, Wyndham was captured by Confederate troops near Harrisonburg, Virginia, in June 1862. Two decades following the end of the war, Indiana's Vincennes Sun-Commercial stated that Wyndham, an Englishman who "had been a captain in the Austrian army and had served under Garibaldi... fell into a Confederate ambush and was taken prisoner with his men." Captured during a charge, his horse shot beneath him, Wyndham remained a prisoner of war from 6 June to 17 August when he was paroled and returned to his regiment. Wyndham served as his brigade's senior colonel from 11 October 1862 to 15 February 1863. On 16 February, Wyndham resigned as he had been "placed under the command of an officer who, in my opinion, is incompetent and for whom I cannot feel the proper respect."  Twelve days later, Wyndham's resignation was revoked and he once again commanded the brigade.

On 9 June 1863, Wyndham was wounded in the leg during the Battle of Brandy Station. He was scheduled to return to the regiment in September, though he did not appear for almost another month. Upon his arrival, Wyndham was charged with absence without leave and was removed from his regimental and brigade commands. During this period, he also came under suspicion for alleged connections to a plot to kidnap President Abraham Lincoln. Wyndham was discharged from the Union Army on 5 July 1864 in Washington, DC.

During Wyndham's service, the 1st New Jersey Cavalry participated in the Battle of Thoroughfare Gap, the Second Battle of Manassas, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Chancellorsville Campaign, and the Battle of Brandy Station. 

A 24 February 1879 article published in the Lafayette, Indiana, Journal and Courier reported that Wyndham was "killed recently by a fall from a balloon in India." The Journal and Courier described the late Wyndham as "a splendid specimen of manhood in appearance, was six feet high, of a commanding mien, and could tie his mustaches in a double bow knot behind his ears." 

This portrait highlights both Wyndham's steely gaze and his impressive facial hair.

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