Revealing the Hidden Beauty of an Ambrotype
By Adam Ochs Fleischer If you haven’t had the opportunity to peruse the Library of Congress’ digitized collection of Civil War glass plate negatives, I encourage you to do so.
Recent Stories
The Montage
By Tom Glass Patriotic-themed carte de visite montages generate little interest among today’s collectors. Such composites featuring portraits of generals, admirals and wartime political leaders are dismissed as “fillers” used
The Augusta or Portland, Maine, Backdrops
By Adam Ochs Fleischer Two backdrops unique to Maine portraits have always been of particular interest to me because of their distinctive appearance. While generally well known in the collecting
Morgan’s Lightning Strikes
By Dave Batalo and Ben Greenbaum The Confederate troopers pictured here struck a decidedly nonchalant pose at a unique moment in their military service during the war’s second summer. Both
Fifers
The relationship of this infantry fifer’s firmly planted feet to his turned head engaging with the camera creates dynamic tension. It leaves an impression that his body is about to
Uniforms of the Granite State
By Ron Field Period photography showing the variety of uniforms and headgear worn by New Hampshire soldiers during the first year or so of the Civil War is of great
Greenback Pay Day
By Mike Fitzpatrick As a result of the war, the federal government suspended specie payments to maintain its bullion reserves. The move forced Congress in 1861 to authorize the U.S.
Team Frailey on the Quaker City
Leonard August Frailey’s first gig as a naval officer was a plum assignment. In August 1864, authorities dispatched the newly minted acting assistant paymaster to the sidewheel steamer Quaker City.
Palms of Victory
Mary Dines made her way to the front of a gathering at a Freedmen’s camp in Washington, D.C., her knees nervously shaking. She joined her fellow inhabitants, all dressed in
Little-Known Fraud: The Remounted Albumen
This carte de visite fraud is one most collectors have likely never heard of—the remounted albumen. Sadly, this is a fairly common practice, and one you need to learn to