Burton Raynor Ross

New York, Washington: Mathew Brady, National Portrait Galleries, c1865. One of multiple copies made, few have survived. Photograph. Format is 4.25 inches by 6.5 inches, with the image size 6 inches by 4.125 inches. Corners rubbed. Some wear and soiling front and back. This is a three quarter figure picture of Burton Raynor Ross in uniform, with sword, on the front. On the reverse printed is Imperial Carte de Visite by Brady. National Portrait Galleries, No. 785 Broadway, New York, No. 627 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D. C. and handwritten in pencil at the top 'Burton R. Ross' and in ink 'when he was very young." It may be possible to identify the military unit from the uniform, There is a military hat on a table on the left side of the image, that is believed to be a kepi. The kepi is a cap with a flat circular top and a peak, or visor. It is usually associated with the American Civil War, as it was worn by soldiers on both sides of the conflict. This hat has a plume at the top and a circular badge at front with a clearly visible letter 'A'. In the United States, the kepi is most often associated with the American Civil War era, and continued into the Indian Wars. Union Officers were generally issued kepis for fatigue use. It was often called a "McClellan cap", after the Union commander, G. B. McClellan. For field officers, the caps were often decorated with a dark velvet band around the base and black silk braiding on the crown. The kepi was also popular with various state units and as privately purchased headgear; e.g., it was standard issue in 1861 for New York infantry regiments. The uniform has large epaulettes is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of rank by armed forces and other organizations. The cabinet card was a style of photograph which was widely used for photographic portraiture after 1870. It consisted of a thin photograph mounted on a card typically measuring 108 by 165 mm (4+1 4 by 6+1 2 inches). The carte de visite was displaced by the larger cabinet card in the 1880s. In the early 1860s, both types of photographs were essentially the same in process and design. Both were most often albumen prints, the primary difference being the cabinet card was larger and usually included extensive logos and information on the reverse side of the card to advertise the photographer’s services. However, later into its popularity, other types of papers began to replace the albumen process. Despite the similarity, the cabinet card format was initially used for landscape views before it was adopted for portraiture. Owing to the larger image size, the cabinet card steadily increased in popularity during the second half of the 1860s and into the 1870s, replacing the carte de visite as the most popular form of portraiture. The cabinet card was large enough to be easily viewed from across the room when typically displayed on a cabinet, which is probably why they became known as such in the vernacular. However, when the renowned Civil War photographer Mathew Brady first started offering them to his clientele towards the end of 1865, he used the trademark "Imperial Carte-de-Visite." Whatever the name, the popular print format joined the photograph album as a fixture in the late 19th-century Victorian parlor. Condition: Good.

Keywords: Burton Raynor Ross, Burton Ross, Cabinet Card, Photograph, Portrait, Soldier, Uniform, Military

[Book #83170]

Price: $1,500.00

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