Vignetted bust albumen CDV. New York: Mathew Brady, [ca. 1863]. Recto bears the famous "Brady / New York" studio imprint in the lower margin. Verso features the Brady’s National Photographic Portrait Galleries backmark, along with collector research identifying the subject as "Francis M. Cummins / Col., 124 N.Y. / WIA—Gettysburg / 7-2-1863."

A veteran of the Mexican-American War, Francis M. Cummins was instrumental in recruiting the 124th from Orange County. On the second day of the the Battle of Gettysburg, he assumed command of the regiment after Col. Augustus van Horne Ellis was killed during the desperate struggle at Devil’s Den. Shortly after taking charge, Cummins himself was severely wounded in the leg, an injury that eventually necessitated his discharge in 1864. His leadership during the regiment's most iconic and bloody engagement remains a cornerstone of the 124th's history.

Cummins is depicted in the vignette style clad in his colonel’s frock coat, the image focusing on the steely countenance of a commander who led his men into the "whirlpool" of the Wheatfield and the rocks of Devil’s Den. As a Brady carte, the image also carries the prestige of the era's most famous gallery, which documented the Union’s most important military leaders.

Cummins represents the transition of Orange Blossom command under the most extreme combat conditions. The loss of both its colonel and lieutenant colonel in the same afternoon at Gettysburg left the regiment decimated, yet its stand at Devil’s Den remains one of the most celebrated defensive actions of the entire Civil War.

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Superior tonal range and clarity, typical of a Brady studio print. The mount is well-preserved with sharp corners and minimal toning.