| This American Civil War tintype image is a great rarity because of the seldom seen revolver being proudly displayed by the sitter. This Union solider who appears to possibly be a cavalryman or more likely an artilleryman cradles on his lap a 3rd Model Colt's Dragoon revolver. This model was considered obsolete by the time of the outbreak of the War Between the States and while large quantities of out-dated weaponry were issued to both Northern and Southern troops early in the war it is unusual to see such a handgun in a 1865 dated image (the mat housing the image bears an 1865 patent date). There is the possibility that this Dragoon revolver was the personal property of this Federal soldier which might explain its appearance in this tintype. The photograph was found in a trunk belonging to a family whose members were long time Iowa residents. Carte de Visite-sized Tintype (Ferrotype) Unknown Photographer Iowa, USA c. 1865 |
