Visual Materials

Civil War photograph capturing soldiers' private moment

Image not available

Description: One half of a stereograph depicting five Civil War soldiers in a staged scene, squatting as if to defecate, including three men whose bare backsides are visible in the photograph. The men are on a dirt bluff with a wide river in the background. The back of the mount has a crossed out imprint for photographers Boehl & Koenig of St. Louis, Missouri, along with a pencil inscription reading "Operations of the / Army of the Tennessee."
Type: Visual Materials(Opens in new tab)
Production date: approximately 1862-1864.
Call number: photPF 26005
Provenance: Purchased by William Reese Company on behalf of The Huntington at Hindman Sale 964, Lot 22, November 12, 2021.
Restrictions: Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Collection of Civil War photographs including war casualties

Visual Materials

A collection of 63 Civil War photographs compiled by John P. Nicholson, Civil War veteran and collector. The albumen photographs are mounted on boards that had been bound into an album (now disbound). Most are undated and have little identification, though some have faded pencil writing on back. Many images depict battlefields, primarily in Gettysburg, such as Little Round Top, Devil's Den, and others. Of particular note are photographs of war dead on the battlefield by Mathew B. Brady and Timothy O'Sullivan (1863); and an image of a dead young man, labeled a "rebel sharpshooter," by Alexander Gardner. Another image shows Brady overlooking "The Wheat Field" at Gettysburg, July 1863, attributed to Egbert Guy Fowx. There are several group portraits of soldiers and officers, often at camp, sitting or standing in front of tents; one features officers with women, presumably their wives or family members. Those identified include General Francis Preston Blair Jr. and staff; soldiers of the 8th New York State Militia at camp; 1st U.S. Cavalry at Brandy Station, Virginia; musical band of the 114th Pennsylvania Infantry (Zouaves); and artillery of the Army of the Cumberland near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Other subjects are: General George G. Meade's headquarters; men building fortifications; a government coal wharf and the Orange and Alexandria Railroad roundhouse in Alexandria, Virginia; a bird's-eye-view of Washington, D.C. with the Capitol and Smithsonian Institute Building "The Castle"; and a panoramic image of "the field over which Pickett charged" by photographer William Bell. A few images include Black men in civilian clothing. The album is disbound, and three photographs have been matted and housed in Box 2.

photCL 307

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Albert Honiss carte-de-visite photograph of Filipino man in woven hat

Visual Materials

A carte-de-visite portrait of a Filipino man standing in front of a bare wall, wearing a shirt, pants and a woven hat. On the back, in handwriting, is: "Indian of Manilla [sic]" and the photographer's stamp: A. Honiss, Escolta, Manila.

photPF 26040

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Photograph of a young blind Mexican gentleman

Visual Materials

An oval portrait photograph of a young, presumably blind, gentleman wearing a suit and dark glasses. The photograph was taken by M. Gonzalez in Mexico City. Includes an ink inscription in Spanish on the mount.

photPF 26017

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Photographs of Civil War generals and officers

Visual Materials

Carte-de-visite photographs of Civil War generals and officers, almost all taken during the war. Includes: Benjamin Franklin Butler; David Farragut; Henry Halleck; five different portraits of Robert E. Lee; L. K. Westcott; Gouverneur Kemble Warren; R. H. Johnson; four different portraits of William Rosecrans; Alexander McCook; Edwin Stanton; Winfield Scott; and two different portraits of Ulysses S. Grant. Several photographs by Mathew Brady.

photPF 2880-2899

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Albert Honiss carte-de-visite photograph of a Filipino boy

Visual Materials

A carte-de-visite portrait of a young boy standing in front of a bare wall. On the back, in handwriting, is: "Small Aborigine of Manilla [sic]" and the photographer's stamp: A. Honiss, Escolta, Manila. Estimated date of photograph based on the years British photographer Albert Honiss was active in the Philippines, 1865 to 1874. Please note that a transcription from the item is included here and contains outdated language.

photPF 26038

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Portraits of Civil War generals, officers, legislators, and related photographs

Visual Materials

Carte-de-visite photographs of primarily Confederate Army generals, with a few Union Army generals, and portraits of other individuals. Contents: (photograph of a drawing) of Jefferson Davis (on verso: ticket for a raffle for the original drawing, held in Macon, Georgia); Gen. Alexander McDowell McCook; Gen. John Bankhead Magruder; Gen. William Mahone; Gen. George Gordon Meade; Alfred Mitchell; Col. John H. Morgan (1825-1864); Edward Duffield Neill; Rev. Nicholson (Richmond, Virginia); John Ott (Virginia); Gen. William Pendleton; Gen. George E. Pickett; John T. Pickett; Gen. John Pegram; Rev. William Swan Plumer; Davis Quinn (purser, steamer Keyport); Gen. George W. Randolph; Conway Robinson; Gen. Lovell Rousseau; John Thomas Scharf; Confederate Navy Admiral Rafael Semmes; Gen. William T. Sherman; Thaddeus Stevens (legislator); Mary Spotswood, daughter of Charles Campbell; Flora Cooke Stuart, wife of Gen. J.E.B. Stuart; Charles Sumner (senator); Gen. William R. Terry; Robert Toombs (Confederate secretary of state); Brig. Gen. Williams Carter Wickham; Gen. Henry A. Wise. Majority of photographs taken at Lee Gallery, Richmond, Virginia; a few by Mathew Brady, Washington D.C.

photPF 2210-2242

Civil War photograph capturing soldiers' private moment

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Collection of Civil War photographs including war casualties

Albert Honiss carte-de-visite photograph of Filipino man in woven hat

Photograph of a young blind Mexican gentleman

Photographs of Civil War generals and officers

Albert Honiss carte-de-visite photograph of a Filipino boy

Portraits of Civil War generals, officers, legislators, and related photographs