On Distinguishing Props from Personal Items
One of my favorite moments at a collector’s show is the instant when I open the case of an ambrotype or tintype and peer into the face of the soldier
Recent Stories
Images of America Remembers the Civil War Soldier
The Images of America books by Arcadia Publishing are ubiquitous. The ongoing series of paperback volumes with their sepia cover and distinctive red and black logo trace the history of
Palmetto Faces
By Ron Field The militia and volunteers of the Palmetto State were the first troops to see service in defense of the short-lived Republic of South Carolina in 1861, and
Love Found and Lost
By Kevin D. Canberg In 1861, happenstance brought together young Carrie Deppen and her soldier love, George W. Ladd. And, 154 years later, a chance discovery has reunited them. On
Revealed: The Identity of an Officer in an Iconic Group Portrait
By Kurt Luther As photo sleuths, many of us spend significant time working with relatively obscure images. We may stumble across a loose tintype at a flea market or unearth
“Glory to Stand Upon Some Lofty Pinnacle”
By Katharina Schlichtherle On the evening of May 31, 1862, the men of the 4th North Carolina State Troops who remained standing, after their baptism of fire in the battle
Armed to the Teeth? The Use of Prop Weapons in Civil War Studio Photography
By Katelyn Brown Few people would dispute the accepted fact that battlefield photographers of the Civil War sometimes included props—even human beings—in their photographs. Alexander Gardner famously moved corpses in
Yankee & Doughboy: A trove of newly discovered photographs documents a father and son
By Aaron D. Purcell, with images from the Jeremiah T. Lockwood, Jr. Collection, Special Collections, Virginia Tech On Aug. 28, 1862, 16-year-old Jeremiah Talcott Lockwood, Jr., from Bedford, N.Y., stepped
Hagerstown’s Durable Man: A Marylander’s half century of military service spanned four wars
By Stephen R. Bockmiller Few veterans are known to have served in any uniformed role in the Civil War and World War I. Among this limited cadre is George Leonard
Following the Torn and Bloodstained Colors: John Michener’s Civil War Odyssey
By Dan Clendaniel When he enlisted into the Union army, Lt. John E. Michener could not have imagined that his first armed encounter would occur in his Pennsylvania hometown.