Sixth plate ambrotype of a young African American man in a military jacket, staring cooly at the camera’s lens. A period note affixed to the case’s pillow is inscribed “Taken at Chardon, Ohio, Spring of 1864.” The photographer or his/her artist delicately tinted the subject’s buttons with gold gilt.

While the young soldier’s identity is currently unknown, it’s possible this portrait was taken after his enlistment in a United States Colored Troop’s regiment (USCT), which began organizing in 1863 and 1864, coinciding with the date on the tag. Nearly 20% of all African American soldiers in USCT regiments died, a much higher rate than their white counterparts. Many of those who re-enlisted following the Civil War fought as “Buffalo Soldiers” on the American frontier.

Condition as shown. Housed in a full leatherette case.



[Antique Photography, Daguerreotype, Ambrotype, Albumen, carte-de-visite, CDV, Tintype] [African American History, Black Americana, Slavery, Slave, Abolition, Abolitionist, Emancipation Proclamation, 13th Amendment] [John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Ulysses S. Grant, US Grant] [Civil War, Union, Confederate]