An Iowa Civil War soldier occupies the center of this CDV, presented as a bust-length portrait set within an elaborately printed oval cartouche on the card's face. The ornate gilt-printed surround features scrollwork, fleur-de-lis motifs, pendant tassels, and a pointed arch top, a decorative format popular with civilian photographers catering to military clientele during the 1861 to 1865 period. No photographer's imprint is visible on the reverse.

The subject wears a dark sack-style military jacket with a standing collar and a single-breasted row of small round buttons running from collar to waist. His dark, loosely waved hair is worn to the ears, and he carries a thin mustache and chin whiskers. His direct, steady gaze and composed expression give the portrait a quiet intensity.

Iowa furnished more than 75,000 men to the Union Army across 48 infantry regiments, 9 cavalry regiments, and 4 artillery batteries, one of the largest per-capita contributions of any northern state. The decorative cartouche mount places this example firmly in the first half of the 1860s. The reverse is blank with no photographer's imprint visible.

From the collection of James Lee Soffer