Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2015.

Infantry, Sergeant

Artist Oliver Harvey Willard (American, 1828 - 1875)

Date1866

MediumAlbumen print with watercolor

DimensionsOverall, Image: 8 × 5 3/4 in. (20.3 × 14.6 cm)
Overall, Support: 13 1/8 × 10 3/16 in. (33.3 × 25.9 cm)
Overall, Mat: 16 × 13 in. (40.6 × 33 cm)

ClassificationsPhotography

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number2015.13.3

On View

Not on view

DescriptionVintage albumen photographic print, created in 1866 from a wet collodion negative and hand-tinted with watercolor. Roughly 8 x 6 inches in size and affixed to original mounts: board roughly 13 x 10 inches in size, with gold coloring to the upper, right, and lower edges of each board. Torn paper on the left side of board, along with the gilt edges, suggests that it was originally bound in a group. Title inscribed below the photographic print on the mount by hand in ink. Has the inscription “x1055.” Matted in 16 x 13 inch archival mat.
Label TextOliver Harvey Willard American, 1828–1875 left to right Engineer, First Sergeant, 1866 Albumen print (photograph) with watercolor Artillery, Corporal, 1866 Albumen print (photograph) with watercolor Infantry, Sergeant, 1866 Albumen print (photograph) with watercolor These images are an example of how early photographs mingled scientific and artistic ambitions. Though they appear to be straightforward records of the uniforms used by the Union Army during the Civil War, they also display the artist’s theatrical flair. The same model strikes a different pose in each photograph, performing for the camera the roles marked by the specific uniforms. These prints were also handtinted using watercolor, adding distinctive touches that further illuminate Oliver Harvey Willard’s artistic approach. Gift of Charles Isaacs and Carol Nigro, in honor of Brooks Johnson, Chrysler Museum of Art Curator of Photography, 1977–2008 2015.13.1 Museum purchase 2015.13.2–.3