Corporal J. A. Lightz, an Iowa Civil War soldier, is portrayed in this albumen CDV dating to the 1860s. The image is set within an ornately printed oval cartouche on the card mount, a decorative convention common to the early-to-mid 1860s. No photographer's imprint is visible on the reverse.

Lightz wears a dark frock coat with a double row of large buttons down the front, a matching waistcoat also closely buttoned, a white shirt with a spread collar, and a small bow tie. His hair is thick and swept upward from the forehead, and he carries side whiskers along the jaw. His gaze is directed slightly upward and to one side, giving the portrait a composed, formal quality.

Iowa contributed more than 75,000 men to Union forces during the Civil War, organized into numerous infantry, cavalry, and artillery units. The rank of corporal placed Lightz among the non-commissioned officers responsible for small-unit discipline and battlefield order within his company.

The reverse bears a pencil inscription reading "Corpl. J. A. Lightz" in a period hand. No photographer's imprint is present on the mount.

From the collection of James Lee Soffer