Civil War Tintypes

 

Here is a selection of Union and Confederate infantry, cavalry, artillery, or civilian Civil War tintypes. Because of their value to collectors, historians, and history buffs, many of these Civil War tintypes will never be for sale again.

Because of the new improvements on the wet plate process and the cheap prices of the new tintypes, photography became extremely popular during the Civil War. Matthew Brady, the most renowned portrait and Civil War photographer of the period, had a steady stream of generals, officers, and enlisted men visit his Washington gallery to get their photo taken as keepsakes for their relatives.

 

Here you'll come across Civl War tintypes of all kinds. Most were taken of people, whether they be young or old, soldier or civilian, but you will also find tintypes of landscapes, buildings, and some with pets. It was popular in the 19th century for both Union and Confederate soldiers to pose with their rifles, pistols, knives, or bayonets. Civil War soldiers were fiercely proud to serve for their country. Many left to war in search of a great adventure, and many because they could never live with the shame of staying behind.

 

Notice the large variety of uniforms in CW tintypes, even among the northern troops, who generally all dressed alike. While the regular army had navy blue frock coats and trousers, the volunteers (the majority of the Northern army), wore sky blue trousers with their frock or sack coats. Zouave units such as the 5th New York or the 72nd Pennsylvanians were wild exceptions however, as they wore flashy red and blue jackets and baggy pants, contrasted with white leggings, tassled turbins, and a sash.

 

The biggest difference in uniforms is with the Confederate army. Southern units tended to uniform themselves like militias. Civil War tintype after tintype willl show short shell jackets, long frock coats, and medium sack coats of different patterns and cuts with varying colors and shades of grey, brown, and butternut. Also, while the south clothed their men fairly well in the beginning of the war, when supplies and transportation became scarce, most southern uniforms deteriorated into rags, and many went barefoot.

 

In many CW tintypes you'll clearly recognize the soldiers insignias of corps, division, brigade, regiment, or company. You can determine by a corp badge alone what theatre of the war an unknown soldier was in, thus, at any given year, where they likely served. You'll also see a big difference in accoutrements, whether they be the shapes of cartridge boxes, the style of belt buckles, the color of haversacks, or the material of cloth and buttons. You may be surprised to learn that a belt buckle alone can tell you what unit the soldier was likely in.

 

Also interesting is the types of rifles they took into battle. The north generally were well-armed with rifled muskets, Springfields, Enfields, etc.. Southern soldiers were not as well armed. Many used captured northern weapons after battles. Notice how often you'll also see southern soldiers sporting shotguns or smoothbore flintlocks in tintypes.

 

Some famous Civil War tintypes are fake, or for a better word “staged”. Alexander Gardner actually dragged bodies around battlefields and posed them as he thought visually pleasing, his most famous being “Home of the Rebel Sharpshooter”. It was discovered he had photographed the same soldier in multiple locations.

 

Civil War tintypes are fascinating. Look at these photos again and again with a detective's eye and further research the times. You'll see far more than you thought possible.