Two unidentified men stage a confrontation for the camera in this albumen CDV produced by C. Kendig of Naperville, Illinois, likely dating to the 1860s or early 1870s based on the mount style and imprint typography. The theatrical pose, clearly arranged rather than candid, gives the image an unusual genre quality rare among standard portrait cartes of the period.

The man at left wears a dark sack coat with notched lapels, a bow tie, and has curly hair and a mustache; his right fist is raised toward his midsection. The man at right, clean-shaven with longer straight hair, leans forward aggressively, gripping the first man's lapel with one hand while his other hand is raised open near the subject's face. Both wear matching dark trousers and leather shoes, and the studio floor and plain backdrop are visible behind them.

C. Kendig operated in Naperville, Illinois, and the reverse imprint notes that duplicates could be ordered at any time and that copies from ambrotypes and daguerreotypes were available on short notice, a standard mid-period CDV advertising formula. A penciled notation reading "$40.00" appears at the top of the reverse.

From the collection of James Lee Soffer