Lightning Strikes Twice
The cover story of our Summer 2024 issue profiled Evander M. Law’s rise to general in the Confederate army. The project began after I met collector Craig Wofford, who shared
Tag: tintype
A Painted Camp and Forts Backdrop from Virginia
By Dave Batalo These portraits of Confederate soldiers posed in front of a painted backdrop are normally difficult to locate in a specific state. Such military imagery painted in a
New Technology + New Equipment = Better Fakes
By Perry M. Frohne I’ve previously mentioned how each upgrade in technology and equipment used to improve our lives also produces a new wave of technically enhanced fakes. I have
Plate or Paper? Choosing the best format for a portrait photograph during the Civil War
Behind every Civil War portrait photograph lies a question that the person paying the bill had to consider: Which format do I choose? Two primary options were available. Hard plates,
Miniature Flags and Secession Cockades: Images from the Matthew L. Oswalt M.D. Collection
Folk art and the humanistic side of the Civil War have long captivated Matt Oswalt. “Photography is a natural extension of these interests,” notes Oswalt, who began collecting soldier images
Army Life: An essay in ambrotypes and tintypes
By David B. Holcomb, with images from the author’s collection The Sentries Around 8 a.m. following reveille, breakfast call, and sick call came the call for Guard Mounting. The first
The Tiger Tree Backdrop of Kalamazoo, Michigan
By Adam Ochs Fleischer In the previous installment, I focused on a backdrop used in Lexington, Mo., during a storm of sectarian conflict. Identifying the backdrop to photographer Thomas D.
A Guide to His Southern Travels?
The thin volume held by this Union enlisted man may have helped him pinpoint the movements of his regiment during its Southern tour. The pocket-sized book, G. Woolworth Colton’s New
Civil War Images; Fallen Soldiers
By Robert Lee Blankenship Some wore a uniform of gray,Some wore the one of blue,They were brothers from north and south,Some were sons and fathers too, Each one was a
Carbines, Colts & Confederates
Charles Darden has collected carbines for almost a half century—and he doesn’t have any plans to stop. Darden might have focused on the unique firearm exclusively. But that changed in
