[Unidentified African American Civil War veteran in Grand Army of the Republic uniform with two children]

Archive record

1 photograph : gelatin silver print ; sheet 14 x 10 cm, mount 17 x 11 cm (cabinet card format) | Photograph shows group portrait of unidentified Union veteran and two children, probably his grandchildren.

About this photograph

The archive catalogues this as a group portrait taken in 1900, showing an unidentified African American veteran of the Union army in Grand Army of the Republic uniform, posed with two children. The record suggests the children are probably his grandchildren. The photographers were Goodman and Springer. The print is in cabinet card format.

The Grand Army of the Republic was the fraternal organisation of Union veterans, founded in 1866. Its local posts held reunions and memorial observances for decades after the war. Members wore distinctive uniforms and badges to encampments and parades, which explains why this portrait shows an elderly man in regalia rather than wartime dress.

Studio portraiture held particular significance in Black communities of this era. Sitting for a formal portrait was a deliberate assertion of dignity and standing, at a time when published images of African Americans were dominated by caricature. Catalogue records of the period frequently left Black sitters unnamed while naming white ones, so the absence of names here reflects the record-keeping practices rather than the sitter himself.

The photograph is a gelatin silver print, measuring 14 by 10 centimetres on the sheet, mounted on card measuring 17 by 11 centimetres. It is held by the Library of Congress.

Compiled from the catalogue record and reference notes on the formats and events involved. The archive record above is the primary source.

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