First CDV

[scooter748driver]

I discovered this CDV online recently. I'm not sure why, but it "spoke" to me. Maybe it's the comradery that appears among the subjects, or the way they appear professional yet casually familiar. Whatever it is, I found it enough to make it my first CDV purchase. And while it's not along the line of my more frequent Confederate interests, I'm very pleased with it nonetheless.

From the description:
Three line officers pose together in this wonderful CDV image by Nashville photographer Theodore M. Schleier.

They are similarly dressed in frock coats with sword belts and sashes. The officer on the left carries a foot officer's sword. The strap on his shoulder appears to be that of a second lieutenant. On the right is a first lieutenant armed with a cavalry saber. The officer in the middle carries a foot officer's sword. The device on his shoulder strap can't quite be made out, but it is easy to imagine that he is a captain and these are his company officers.

On the reverse is artist Schleier's Nashville backmark.

Now, if only there were a way to determine who these gentlemen were.

 

[Sowbelly and Hardtack]

I discovered this CDV online recently. I'm not sure why, but it "spoke" to me. Maybe it's the comradery that appears among the subjects, or the way they appear professional yet casually familiar. Whatever it is, I found it enough to make it my first CDV purchase. And while it's not along the line of my more frequent Confederate interests, I'm very pleased with it nonetheless.

From the description:
Three line officers pose together in this wonderful CDV image by Nashville photographer Theodore M. Schleier.

They are similarly dressed in frock coats with sword belts and sashes. The officer on the left carries a foot officer's sword. The strap on his shoulder appears to be that of a second lieutenant. On the right is a first lieutenant armed with a cavalry saber. The officer in the middle carries a foot officer's sword. The device on his shoulder strap can't quite be made out, but it is easy to imagine that he is a captain and these are his company officers.

On the reverse is artist Schleier's Nashville backmark.

Now, if only there were a way to determine who these gentlemen were.

View attachment 495282

View attachment 495283

The CDV is a paper image and probably more than one print was made. Unless this image has been published in a regimental history or resides in a historical collection with identification, we are unlikely to ever discover their identities. Very nice CDV.

 

[lupaglupa]

You could try cropping each man individually and running that image through an image search. If any descendants have the image they might have put it on Ancestry or Find a Grave and you would get an ID that way.

 

[scooter748driver]

You could try cropping each man individually and running that image through an image search. If any descendants have the image they might have put it on Ancestry or Find a Grave and you would get an ID that way.

Great idea! Do you recommend any particular image search site?

Out of curiosity I tried one to search for the image and the results said that out of 65 billion images searched they didn't find the CDV image. I know of at least 2 places its posted online - here and where I purchased it from. So those results were disappointing and makes me skeptical of claims that they search "billions" of images.

 

[lupaglupa]

I have not used them myself - do others CW members who have have any recommendations?

 

[John Hartwell]

G

Great idea! Do you recommend any particular image search site?

Out of curiosity I tried one to search for the image and the results said that out of 65 billion images searched they didn't find the CDV image. I know of at least 2 places its posted online - here and where I purchased it from. So those results were disappointing and makes me skeptical of claims that they search "billions" of images.

A simple Google image search finds it at Iron Horse Military Antiques, which I assume is where you obtained it. It may just be too soon for their crawlers to have found it here.

 

[CWdiaryPA]

Here you go.

 

[Sowbelly and Hardtack]

The CDV does tell us three things. The photographer's imprint tells us what theatre of operations these officers were assigned to, the officer on the left and the officer in the center are 2nd Lieutenant's with light colored shoulder board's, and the officer on the right is a 1st Lieutenant with a dark colored shoulder.

 

[steamboater]

Among other items, Federal officers were required to obtain their own weapons. The elder gent might have had a bit more in the way of greenbacks, as he purchase a blade that has some fine etching showing.

 

[4thMichigan]

I would look into the Union regiments that would have been somewhere near the Nashville, Tennessee area during the time that the photographer "T. M. Schleier", was in business there. I believe that there is a digital article titled: Headquarters for Pictures that mentions your photographer on the Military Images Website. Unfortunately, that requires a subscription (and mine has expired).
You'll probably have to weed out a whole lot of contestants before you can begin to have any clue as to who the officers may be. The officers could be some of those who were part of the occupational forces or from some of the regiments just passing through.