An original albumen carte-de-visite portrait depicting Colonel Frederick George D'Utassy standing in full uniform, grasping a sword and proudly presenting one of the multi-national color standards of his regiment. The lower front margin features a crisp, period letterpress caption reading "COL. D'UTASSY, / Garibaldi Guard." above an 1861 copyright credit to M.B. Brady. The reverse bears a beautifully struck, red-ink imprint text reading: "Published by / E. Anthony, / 501 Broadway, / New York. / From /  Photographic / Negative, / From / Brady's National / Portrait Gallery."

This exceptional portrait captures the colorful and controversial Frederick George D'Utassy (1827–1892), the initial commander of the 39th New York Volunteer Infantry, universally known as the Garibaldi Guard. Raised in New York City in the spring of 1861, the 39th New York was an incredibly unique foreign-legacy regiment composed of distinct companies of Italian, Hungarian, German, Swiss, Spanish, Portuguese, and French immigrants. D'Utassy, a Hungarian-born adventurer who claimed an elite military pedigree, expertly used his linguistic talents to secure command of the colorful unit, outfitting them in Italian Bersaglieri-style slouch hats with sweeping rooster feathers, as seen in this portrait.

The flag D'Utassy presents is a vital piece of the regiment's early history: an Italian tricolor standard presented to the unit on behalf of European sympathizers, featuring a scroll draped across the center bearing the names of revolutionary battles. Under D'Utassy's command, the regiment fought at First Bull Run and during the 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign, culminating in the embarrassing surrender of the Union garrison at Harper's Ferry, where the Garibaldi Guard was paroled. D'Utassy's theatrical wartime career came to a crashing halt in 1863 when he was court-martialed, convicted of forgery and selling government property, and sentenced to one year of hard labor at Sing Sing prison. Captured by Mathew Brady's studio at the very outbreak of the war, this card represents the height of D'Utassy's martial bravado before his spectacular fall from grace.

The historical weight of this card is elevated by its pristine condition and its elite production lineage, combining the camera work of Mathew Brady's studio with the premier distribution power of E. Anthony. It stands as a brilliant visual monument to the immigrant soldiers who rushed to defend the Union, wrapped in the complex legacy of their charismatic but flawed commander.

[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]

Very good to excellent. The albumen print displays remarkable clarity, deep tones, and high-level contrast that preserves the intricate details of D'Utassy's uniform braid, his plumed hat, and the painted text on the regimental standard. The mount is exceptionally clean with sharp corners and no significant edge wear.