[CIVIL WAR] On the Road from Annapolis: Rare Full Campaign Kit 7th New York State Militia Studio Portrait Pair

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Rick Carlile Collection of Civil War Photogra...

By Fleischer's Auctions

Jun 20, 2026

Set Reminder 2026-06-20 09:00:00 2026-06-20 09:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Rick Carlile Collection of Civil War Photography https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/fleischers-auctions/rick-carlile-collection-of-civil-war-photography-22699
This sale features an extensive catalog of Civil War photographs that were acquired, curated, and researched by seminal collector, Rick Carlile. Fleischer's Auctions info@fleischersauctions.com

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• Lot Description

  This 2-piece collection of CDVs features an incredibly famous, same-soldier variant sequence tracking an elite member of the 7th New York State Militia (NYSM) during the crucial opening weeks of the war. Most notably, the portrait on the left is a landmark piece of historic media, famously utilized as a major visual anchor in Ken Burns' documentary masterpiece, The Civil War. The lot includes:

   

  1. 7th NYSM Sergeant (The Ken Burns Portrait): Full-length standing studio portrait albumen CDV. [ca. April-May 1861]. A striking, instantly recognizable image of a sergeant in the 7th NYSM light gray uniform coat with dark trim and triple chevrons on his sleeve. He stands on a patterned studio floor, holding his rifled musket vertically with his forage cap balanced directly over the muzzle. The reverse bears a prominent period ink inscription reading "Afternoon parade."

   

  2. 7th NYSM Sergeant (Full Campaign Kit Variant): Full-length standing studio portrait albumen CDV. [ca. April-May 1861]. A variant sitting from the exact same studio sequence, capturing the sergeant in his complete heavy marching order. He wears his full knapsack, crossed white canvas crossbelts, and a waist belt with a cartridge box. He stands cross-legged next to a massive studio column and a wooden chair holding his canvas haversack and metallic canteen. The reverse features a historic, detailed period ink inscription reading: "At rest / on the road from / Annapolis to / Washington."

   

  The 7th New York State Militia, known as the "Silk Stocking" Regiment due to the high-society status of its members, played a foundational role in securing the nation's capital. Following the attack on Fort Sumter, Washington D.C. was completely isolated and vulnerable. Responding to Lincoln's immediate call, the 7th NYSM marched out of Manhattan on 19 April 1861, traveled by steamer to Annapolis, and undertook a grueling, high-stakes march along the ripped-up tracks of the Annapolis & Elk Ridge Railroad to break the blockade and save Washington.

   

  The historic inscriptions on the reverse of these cards match the exact titles given to early wartime photographic sequences documenting the unit's short 30-day enlistment. The inscription on the second card explicitly references that legendary march to Washington, making it an uncommonly rich material culture artifact. 

   

  [Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Photography, Early Photography, Historic Photography, Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, Tintypes, Cased Images, Union Cases, Albumen Photographs, CDVs, Carte de Visites, Cartes de Visite, Carte-de-visite, Cartes-de-visite, CDV, Cabinet Cards, Stereoviews, Stereocards] [Civil War, Union, Confederate]

  Condition

  Request Condition Report

  Both images are in very good condition. The mounts are structurally sound, square, and unclipped, showing only minimal, age-appropriate light toning and clear, stable reverse ink inscriptions.

• Provenance

  Rick Carlile collection. 

• Shipping Info

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