A bearded Union officer fills this Civil War-era CDV in a chest-up portrait set within an ornately printed oval frame, the decorative border featuring scrollwork, shell motifs, and pendant tassels rendered directly on the carte mount. The subject wears a dark frock coat with a column of large brass buttons down the front and shoulder straps visible at both shoulders, consistent with a commissioned officer's dress. His dark, collar-length hair, full beard, and direct gaze give the portrait a confident, formal quality characteristic of wartime officer photography. Iowa units produced a substantial number of CDVs of this style during the 1861 to 1865 period, often made by studio photographers operating near regimental muster points.

The oval vignette printing and decorative mount style place production squarely in the Civil War years, likely between 1862 and 1865. The shoulder straps, though difficult to read at this scale, suggest a rank of lieutenant or captain.

No photographer's imprint appears on the reverse. The penciled notation "40" is written on the verso, likely a collection or inventory number.

From the collection of James Lee Soffer