Sixth plate tintype and framed solar enlargement of George W. Ethridge of the 31st Illinois. While tintype portraits and solar enlargements from the era are not uncommon individually, it’s rare to have both the original image and the enlargement made from it together.

Solar enlargements were often made as tribute pieces to memorialize soldiers who did not return from the war. Such is the case for this pair, which depict George W. Ethridge of the 31st Illinois, who died in 1863. It is unclear whether Pvt. Ethridge succumbed to disease or from wounds sustained during battle.

The sixth plate tintype of Ethridge shows him armed with a knife and rifle in front of a patriotic backdrop. It is housed in a full leatherette case. Reverse of the solar enlargement bears notes identifying a son or nephew of George W. Eithridge and his address.







[Antique Photography, Daguerreotype, Ambrotype, Albumen, carte-de-visite, CDV, Tintype] [Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Civil War, Union, Confederate, Ulysses S. Grant, US Grant, Phillip Sheridan, Robert E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln]