A young Iowa Civil War soldier is the subject of this albumen CDV, photographed by C. L. Hamilton at Fort Randall, Dakota Territory, placing the image in the 1860s during the period of active frontier garrisoning that followed the Civil War. Hamilton operated at Fort Randall, one of the earliest and most significant U.S. Army posts on the upper Missouri River, and his presence there as a photographer reflects the growing demand for portraits among soldiers stationed on the frontier. The mount features an elaborately printed ornamental border of scrollwork, acanthus foliage, pendant tassels, and a pointed cartouche at the crown, a style popular on CDV mounts of the mid-to-late 1860s.

The soldier wears a dark Federal sack coat with a double row of small buttons and a forage cap set squarely on his head, with a bow tie and white shirt collar visible beneath. He faces the camera with a composed, direct expression, and his dark hair is cut short above the ears.

Fort Randall, established in 1856 near present-day Pickstown, South Dakota, served as a key post for controlling the Sioux frontier and housed various infantry units throughout the Civil War era and beyond. The reverse bears a stamped imprint reading "C. L. Hamilton, Photographer, Fort Randall, D.T."

From the collection of James Lee Soffer