[Union Soldier Holding Rifle, with Photographer's Posing Stand]

Unknown

1861–65 · Ambrotype with applied color · Photographs

The purpose of the odd pronged apparatus seen in this portrait of a typical Union recruit was to keep the sitter’s head rigid during the exposure of the wet-plate glass negative—between a fraction of a second and several seconds, depending on the time of year and the atmospheric conditions. The device was not meant to be seen by the camera and is generally invisible in the era’s portraits. This ruby glass ambrotype in a thermoplastic wall frame is an exception to the rule.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1861–65

Medium

Ambrotype with applied color

Department

Photographs

Credit line

The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Fund, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2011