Ninth plate hand-tinted & gilt tintype. Half leatherette case. Anonymous artist.

A compelling portrait of a Confederate soldier armed with an enormous Bowie knife. Captured by a skilled operator on the dead center of the plate, the dark-hared subject stares directly at the camera while seated at a slight angle. Wearing a red-tinted striped overshirt and military trousers, the aforementioned knife rests against his hip in a brass-tipped leather scabbard. A neat plaid scarf, tinted blue, and light suspenders complete his appearance.

Bowie knives of various sizes and configurations are commonly encountered in southern photography, particularly during the early years of the Civil War.



[Daguerreotype, Ambrotype, Tintype, Carte-de-visite, CDV, Albumen, Mexican War, Mexican American War, Civil War, Slavery, Abolitionist, Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Early Photography]

Provenance: Herb Peck assembled one of the first and greatest collections of historic American photography before it was stolen in 1978 from his Nashville home. Once thought lost forever, authorities recently traced an unexpected clue and discovered many of Herb’s images unscathed after nearly 45 years in hiding. These daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and tintypes comprise one of the most important collections of Civil War portrait photography ever curated. Herb Peck was a true pioneer who understood both the historic and artistic merit of portraits showing the common Civil War soldier at a time when they were often overlooked. These photographs are deeply important to our shared American history, and Fleischer's Auctions is proud to make them publicly available on behalf of the Peck family.

As represented. For a full condition report, please email us.