Rare and historically significant carte de visite of Reuel Colt Gridley, posed beside the original “Sanitary Sack of Flour” that became one of the most enduring fundraising legends of the Civil War era. Captured in a formal studio setting, Gridley stands next to a flour sack draped in an American flag and boldly marked “Austin Sanitary Flour,” referencing the town of Austin, Nevada, where his famed charitable campaign began. The image is captioned: "R. C. Gridley and 'That Sanitary Sack of Flour.'"

The verso features a printed endorsement from San Francisco photographer Geo. H. Johnson, who announces that "All the proceeds of the sale of these pictures to be donated to the Sanitary Fund." The CDV also credits J. Stratman as general agent and provides the studio’s Clay Street address in San Francisco. In faint pencil is the sitter's identification.

Gridley’s effort to repeatedly auction the same sack of flour to raise funds for the U.S. Sanitary Commission—first in Nevada and later across the country—ultimately generated over $275,000 for wounded Union soldiers. This photograph is a primary visual artifact of that nationally celebrated campaign, serving both as portrait and patriotic relic.

Photographs of Gridley are scarce, and those connected directly to his Sanitary Sack campaign are especially sought after. An outstanding Civil War philanthropic relic with strong ties to West Coast wartime support and public fundraising.