Portrait of a Soldier

1860s

American 19th Century

Associated Names
American 19th Century

Artist

The image shows a man seated in an ornately carved wooden chair, facing slightly to his left. His right arm is resting on the chair's armrest. The man has a full beard and mustache, with dark hair partially covered by a button-topped cap. He is dressed in a dark suit with a jacket, waistcoat, and shirt. A pocket watch chain is visible on his waistcoat. A handkerchief is tucked into his jacket pocket. The background includes part of a window or mirror frame, with a painted backdrop depicting an outdoor scene. The photograph is framed in gold.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    ambrotype with applied color

  • Credit Line

    Robert B. Menschel and the Vital Projects Fund

  • Dimensions

    image (visible): 7 × 5.9 cm (2 3/4 × 2 5/16 in.)
    mat: 8.2 × 7 cm (3 1/4 × 2 3/4 in.)
    case (closed): 9.5 × 8.5 × 2.5 cm (3 3/4 × 3 3/8 × 1 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2013.49.5

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Bernard Quaritch Ltd., London); NGA purchase, 2013.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2019

  • The Eye of the Sun: Nineteenth-Century Photographs from the National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2019, unnumbered catalogue.

Inscriptions

on recto and verso of thermoplastic case, center molded: CONSTITUTION / AND THE / LAWS

Wikidata ID

Q64144688

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