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[Union Soldier in Dress Coat, Seated, before Painted Backdrop (left); Union Soldier in Winter Overcoat, Standing, in Full Marching Order (right)]

1861–65
Not on view
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.
In this double-portrait case, the tinted, "sunburned" cheeks and vacant look of the soldier at right suggest he has already witnessed firsthand the killing fields. He appears to have been to the abyss and back. In period jargon, he has "seen the elephant."

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: [Union Soldier in Dress Coat, Seated, before Painted Backdrop (left); Union Soldier in Winter Overcoat, Standing, in Full Marching Order (right)]
  • Artist: Unknown (American)
  • Date: 1861–65
  • Medium: Ambrotype; tintype
  • Classification: Photographs
  • Credit Line: Collection of Philip and Jennifer Maritz
  • Curatorial Department: Photographs