[Union Cavalry Soldier with Pistol in Holster]

Tappin's Photograph Art Gallery

1861–65 · Albumen silver print from glass negative · Photographs

The belief in the power of the photographic image during the war years—in both field views and portraits—is astonishing. This act of democratic self-representation is where the pathos and poignancy of Civil War photography come through most clearly: in the seemingly straightforward, transparent, and affecting stare of Johnny Reb and Billy Yank—here, in the guise of an unknown cavalryman from Indiana.

Artist

Tappin's Photograph Art Gallery

Date

1861–65

Medium

Albumen silver print from glass negative

Department

Photographs

Credit line

Purchase, Vital Projects Fund Inc. Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2019