Three-quarter length albumen CDV studio portrait of Grenville Dodge. Pulaski, Tennessee: Th. Gubelman, [1864]. Photographer's imprint to mount verso alongside period ink inscription reading, "Will -".

Rare carte de visite (CDV) photograph of General Grenville Dodge (1831-1916), as brigadier general. Prior to the war, Dodge was a civil engineer who conducted surveys for several railroads, including Union Pacific. He joined the Union army at the start of the conflict, appointed Colonel of the 4th Iowa Infantry. His leadership was quickly recognized and he became Grant's chief intelligence officer in the Western Theater. Dodge was promoted to major general in June 1864, and notably commanded the XVI Corps during the Atlanta Campaign. After the war, he briefly continued with the regular army before serving as a U.S. Congressman representing Iowa (1867-1869). He also continued railroad work and directed construction of the transcontinental railroad.

This particular view of Dodge was produced by Theodore Gubelmann (1841-18XX), a New Jersey photographer originally from Germany. In late 1863, he borrowed $400 from a friend to open his gallery in Pulaski, Tennessee, which had been Union controlled since 1862. With the permission of the Provost Mashal, Gubelmann was able to make use of an abandoned studio and equipment and was producing photographs by 11 January 1864. This image was almost certainly made in the the first half of 1864 before Union troops moved from Pulaski into Alabama. Following the tides of war, Gubelmann moved his trade to Nashville. (Gary D. Saretzky and Joseph G. Bilby. "Photographers of the Civil War Era: Theodore Gubelman of Jersey City." New Jersey Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Vol. 7, No. 1, Winter 2021. Pp. 209-225). This date also corresponds neatly with Dodge's career. In the fall of 1863, he and his command were transferred from Corinth to Pulaski where he set to opening the Nashville and Decatur Railroad. In the spring, with the task nearly complete, he joined the Atlanta Campaign where he covered himself in glory. Additionally, Dodge's one-star brigadier general straps are clearly visible (and partially colored), coinciding with the early 1864 date, before his promotion to major general in June 1864.

A fine portrait captured on the threshold of the defining moment of Dodge's military career.


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