Image is housed in a thermoplastic case showing on the front the equestrian statue of George Washington in Richmond in its central oval panel, bordered by angels blowing trumpets at top, with flags, eagles, and U.S. shields at the bottom. The back of the case has the central panel blank, but uses the same richly decorated border.

The image is a half-plate tintype showing an officer with chin-beard and narrow-brim slouch hat, also vignetted against a plain background and shown standing, from the knees up with arms crossed. The photographer tinted his coat with a blue that has faded to a slightly greenish tone, and touched his buttons and shoulder straps. The latter seem pretty clearly to show first lieutenant’s bars. The blue coat may be off-putting, but pre-war Virginia militia regulations specified that officers’ uniforms would follow U.S. regular army patterns and it took some time for them to be laid aside. This comes from the collection of the late Bill Turner, noted Virginia dealer and collector, and it is easy to see why he liked it.

The case shows a repaired crack near the bottom of the front face, more or less at the bottom edge of the central oval panel and down from there to each corner. This is not very evident from the exterior but can be seen on the interior, as the velvet insert is missing from the case.  The tintype clearly shows the officer’s facial features and hands, even though the coloring of the coat has shifted and is uneven.   [sr/ld]  [ph:m/L]

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