[Enoch Long, photographer]. Two (2) sixth plate tintypes. Housed together in full thermoplastic case. Manuscript note behind plate reads: "Momma's Grandfather Backus (German)."

Enjoayble pair of portraits of a jovial young US cavalryman, taken both in and out of uniform. Both photographs look to have been taken at or near the same time, with the portrait on the left, featuring Backus in his civilian clothes, and the portrait on the right featuring a uniformed Backus posed in front of a patriotic painted backdrop. This backdrop belonged to Enoch Long, a talented and prolific photographer who had a popular studio inside Benton Barracks in St. Louis. His patriotic "Map of Missouri" backdrop is widely considered one of the most impressive of the genre, with fine examples such as this highly prized by Civil War collectors. Long captured a smirking Backus in a full-standing pose, armed with both his sword and a large sidearm. There were several soldiers with the surname "Backus" who passed through Benton Barracks; more research may definitively identify him. 

[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] [Civil War, Union, Confederate]