Eager dealers are quick to assume that all males in uniform from the 19th century are Civil War soldiers, all the more because of the mania for such photos and the prices they bring. But it doesn’t make sense considering that the war period comprised less than 5% of the years of the century, there were four other major named conflicts, protracted wars with native American tribes, and there were many educational academies that featured military discipline and uniformed students (my grandfather was a teacher in such a school in Virginia in the early years of his career). Experienced collectors of militaria are not misled by such claims.
Civil War soldiers liked to be pictured with arms and equipment and some studios may have obliged by keeping such gear on hand, which explains why an eager new soldier might go straight from induction to the portrait studio before weapons issue or training; and certainly some recruits died from accident or camp diseases before ever having any practical soldiering experience – but not before sending that coveted photo home.
The insignia on this young man’s kepi-style cap looks like it might be the superimposed letters N and A, which fits the academy proposition. No other patches, insignias or buttons would make you think he is dressed in national military uniform.
The cabinet print was taken by Vanderbilt Portraits, Barlow Block, Sing-Sing, NY. It advertises that “Pictures are made by the new Instantaneous Process”. All photo exposures have been virtually “instantaneous” since the invention of practical commercial photography, so if this refers to the time that elapsed between the click of the shutter and delivery of the finished print, this is an egregious example of advertising exaggeration (even a fully developed polaroid print was hardly instantaneous even though it rolled out of the camera a moment later).