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A U.S. Army Assistant Surgeon in Profile

Marcus Aurelius Root, renowned Philadelphia photographer and author of the 1864 treatise and handbook, The Camera and the Pencil; or the Heliographic Art,
created this portrait of a U.S. Army officer. His shoulder straps indicate he ranked as a first lieutenant, and his medical officer’s sword points to his service as an assistant surgeon.

Half-plate daguerreotype by Marcus Aurelius Root of Philadelphia, Pa. Dan Binder Collection.
Half-plate daguerreotype by Marcus Aurelius Root of Philadelphia, Pa. Dan Binder Collection.

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