An original albumen carte-de-visite full-length studio portrait of an officer standing before a painted landscape backdrop. He is impeccably outfitted in an officer's frock coat with line officer shoulder straps, a cavalry officer's sash with prominent tassels, gauntlets, and a high-grade sword belt featuring a circular plate with the letters "US." He rests his left hand on his cavalry saber and carries his forage cap in his right hand. The lower front margin bears a clipped letterpress studio credit reading: Wolff's Gallery Alex[andria, Virginia]. The mount features distinctively clipped corners from period album placement. The reverse features an extraordinary, bold period ink presentation autograph and flourish reading: "R. N. Boyd / Capt. Co. D. 1st Regt. New Jersey Cavalry / U.S.A."

This spectacular, autographed portrait captures Captain Robert N. Boyd of Company D, 1st New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry. Organized in the late summer of 1861, the 1st New Jersey Cavalry went on to carve out an elite, bloody combat legacy in the Eastern Theater, ultimately sustaining the highest officer casualties of any volunteer cavalry regiment in the entire Union army.

The pinnacle of Boyd's military career occurred in the swirling mounted action on the afternoon of 3 July 1863, at East Cavalry Field during the Battle of Gettysburg. Positioned on the tactical right flank of the Union Army to prevent J.E.B. Stuart's Confederate cavalry from penetrating the federal rear, the 1st New Jersey Cavalry was thrown into a series of desperate countercharges against overwhelming southern columns. Armed with carbines and sabers, Boyd and his men engaged in a savage, hand-to-hand melee that successfully blunted the southern advance. It was during this high-stakes brawl that Captain Boyd was wounded in action. 

He recovered to lead his company through the opening phases of the Overland Campaign before being honorably mustered out at the expiration of his three-year service in September, 1864. The Alexandria, Virginia studio credit aligns perfectly with the regiment's frequent encampments securing the outer defenses of Washington and northern Virginia earlier in the War. 

The 1st New Jersey Cavalry is highly collected for its status as a premier, high-casualty frontline command. An artifact explicitly boasting a bold, wartime presentation signature by a Gettysburg casualty would be a top-shelf acquisition for any advanced collector. 

[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 fine. The albumen print retains exceptional visual definition, tonal contrast, and a deep sepia hue. The mount remains structurally sound with clean, uniform period corner clips.