Outstanding oversize albumen photograph of members of Co. F of the 78th Pennsylvania Infantry. [Lookout Mountain, Tennessee]: [R.M. Linn], [1863-early 1864]. Pencil title to mount recto reads: "Co. 'F,' 78th Reg. Penn. Vol. Inf. / Lookout Mountain Tenn". Mount verso with more pencil inscriptions, some illegible including what appears to be a name and: “To be left at Sheldon(?) until called for.”

A triumphant image, nearly 50 men crowd the rocky point. Some engage the lens, some gaze out over the Tennessee River, and one daredevil in a great coat sits precariously on the outermost edge. A musician brought his large painted bass drum along for the likeness, adding to the lighthearted atmosphere.

The 78th Pennsylvania had good reason to take such a celebratory photograph, having participated in the Union’s victory over Confederate forces at both Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge in late 1863. This image was most likely taken during this period by photographer R.M. Linn, who famously operated on the mountain after the battle and used this rocky point as the location for many of his photographs.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate, Historic Photography, Early Photography, CDV, Carte-de-Visite, Cartes de Visite, Carte de Visite, Albumen, Albums]