[Union Private with Musket and Pistol]

1861–65
Not on view
Almost all portraits of Civil War soldiers, Union and Confederate, show the sitters with one or more weapons: a musket with or without a fixed bayonet, a sword, a pistol or two, a bowie knife. Evidence suggests that given a choice, most soldiers preferred presenting themselves armed with more than one weapon—an opportunity many studios were more than willing to accommodate with a ready supply of props.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: [Union Private with Musket and Pistol]
  • Artist: Unknown (American)
  • Date: 1861–65
  • Medium: Tintype with applied color
  • Dimensions: Plate: 8.9 x 6.4 cm (3 1/2 x 2 1/2 in.)
    Case: 9.5 × 8.5 cm (3 3/4 × 3 3/8 in.)
  • Classification: Photographs
  • Credit Line: The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Fund, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2012
  • Object Number: 2012.76
  • Curatorial Department: Photographs

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