Brig. Gen. Alfred Sully is depicted in this Civil War-era CDV, presented within an elaborately printed oval cartouche of scrollwork, pendant tassels, and decorative rope motifs that was a popular commercial mount style of the 1860s. No photographer's imprint appears on the reverse. The portrait dates to the Civil War period, consistent with Sully's active service years.

Sully wears a dark Union officer's frock coat with a double row of buttons visible across the chest and shoulder straps at the epaulettes. His light-colored chin beard and mustache, tousled hair, and direct forward gaze give the portrait a commanding presence. The bust-length composition fills the printed frame tightly.

Alfred Sully (1820–1879), a West Point graduate and son of the painter Thomas Sully, distinguished himself during the Civil War and became widely known for his campaigns against the Sioux in the Dakota Territory, earning the title "General of the Northwest" reflected in the inscription on this card's reverse.

The reverse bears two inscriptions: "Gen. Suley of the North West" in period ink script, and "Gen. Alfred Sully 1820–1879" in a later hand at the bottom edge.

From the collection of James Lee Soffer