1862 Ambrotype of CIVIL WAR 1st Lt. in MONITOR at FORT Gutta Percha Case from NEW LONDON CT Infantry

Item Details

Ambrotype photograph of a Civil War first lieutenant in Monitor at Fort union case, possibly from New London, Connecticut, circa 1862. The unidentified ninth plate ambrotype shows a blue eyed young man posing for his likeness in a photographic studio. He wears a military frock coat with shoulder bars with one stripe at either side. The ambrotype is housed in a gutta percha case made by Littlefield, Parsons & Co. The case features an illustration of a Union monitor gunboat steaming past a fort flying the U.S. flag. That decoration appears on the front and back. This ambrotype came with a collection of case images from a New London, Connecticut, that the antiques dealer Ann Frink got back in the late 1990s. The photograph was in this case at that time. She sold it to a Stonington, Connecticut, dealer, whom I bought it from twenty five years ago. I always hoped to figure out who this first lieutenant was. The light color of the background on his shoulder bars would suggest he belonged to an infantry unit. I suspect the image was made before the officer left for the war. The Monitor at Fort union case is one of the most desirable of Civil War era gutta percha cases. Both the photograph and the union case are in very good condition. The case has a two tiny corner chips on the outside back corners, and there’s a very fine crack line at the closure on the back cover. The ambrotype exhibits very good tonal range and shows very good detail. It has a tin backing with a dark finish to form the background for the image. That black finish is flaking—I would put a piece of black paper or cloth behind the ambrotype. A really nice military officer image in a great Civil War themed case!