Help with ID'ing a CDV

[finley22]

Hi -- I have a CDV passed down in my family that I need help identifying. The front is of a man in uniform and the back is stamped "G.W. Armstead. Artist. Corinth, Miss." From some of my research, it seems it could be a Union 2nd Lieutenant or it could be a portrait of an officer stationed in Corinth, Mississippi approximately 1862-1863 during the Civil War. Would anyone be able to help me identify anything else about this man? I have tried in Civil War Sleuth but there are so many men with beards Thanks!

 

[lelliott19]

Hi @finley22 and welcome aboard! If this is a family image, then perhaps it would be possible to identify the subject by process of elimination of your ancestors who served. I am not a uniform expert by any means - paging @Package4 who will hopefully weigh in and provide some insight on the uniform this soldier wears. Regarding the photographer, G W Armstead of Corinth, MS, I'll do a quick newspaper search to see if I can determine when Mr. Armstead operated. Your CDV could be a reprint of an earlier image so knowing Armstead's operation dates might only tell us when the reprint was made. Let me see what I can find and Ill report back.

EDIT TO ADD: Here is the photographer George Washington Armstead (1833-1912). I find no mention of him in Mississippi newspapers 1860-1880. According to his Find-A-Grave memorial he was born in New York and died in Nebraska.

The photo caption says he operated his photographic studio in North Bend, NE for many years. I located an ad that ran in 1890 see below.

Image from Find-A-Grave

The North Bend Argus. (North Bend, NE), April 10, 1890, 5.

 

[finley22]

Hi @finley22 and welcome aboard! If this is a family image, then perhaps it would be possible to identify the subject by process of elimination of your ancestors who served. I am not a uniform expert by any means - paging @Package4 who will hopefully weigh in and provide some insight on the uniform this soldier wears. Regarding the photographer, G W Armstead of Corinth, MS, I'll do a quick newspaper search to see if I can determine when Mr. Armstead operated. Your CDV could be a reprint of an earlier image so knowing Armstead's operation dates might only tell us when the reprint was made. Let me see what I can find and Ill report back.

Hi lelliott19 thanks! I have probably 50 CDV's all from the Civil War era and this was one of them. I have done pretty extensive research of my family tree and can find no one in the military at that time. The only link I have (which is interesting) is General Anthony Wayne (mad Anthony Wayne ).

It definitely seems like an original.

Here is what I dug up about Armstead: Armstead operated during the 1860s, capturing numerous images of Union soldiers and daily life in Corinth, Mississippi, a strategic location during the Civil War. June 1862 and January 1864. It has been fascinating trying to find out its origins!

 

[lupaglupa]

Welcome to CivilWarTalk! If you are certain no one in your family fought in the Civil War, I'd say your photo could well be one of a family friend that was given to one of your ancestors. People often shared these. The man in the photo looks vaguely familiar to me, but then there were, as you said, a lot of bearded men then.

 

[finley22]

Hi @finley22 and welcome aboard! If this is a family image, then perhaps it would be possible to identify the subject by process of elimination of your ancestors who served. I am not a uniform expert by any means - paging @Package4 who will hopefully weigh in and provide some insight on the uniform this soldier wears. Regarding the photographer, G W Armstead of Corinth, MS, I'll do a quick newspaper search to see if I can determine when Mr. Armstead operated. Your CDV could be a reprint of an earlier image so knowing Armstead's operation dates might only tell us when the reprint was made. Let me see what I can find and Ill report back.

EDIT TO ADD: Here is the photographer George Washington Armstead (1833-1912). I find no mention of him in Mississippi newspapers 1860-1880. According to his Find-A-Grave memorial he was born in New York and died in Nebraska.

The photo caption says he operated his photographic studio in North Bend, NE for many years. I located an ad that ran in 1890 see below.
View attachment 540780
Image from Find-A-Grave

View attachment 540781
The North Bend Argus. (North Bend, NE), April 10, 1890, 5.

Here is what I dug up:
George Washington Armstead (1835–1912), a photographer originally from Columbus, Ohio, was active in Corinth, Mississippi, during the Civil War. He is known for his photographs of Confederate soldiers killed during the Battle of Corinth on October 3 and 4, 1862.
en.m.wikipedia.org
Additionally, he captured images such as "Frank Wyatt, One of General Dodge's Band, Corinth, Mississippi" on September 18, 1863.
metmuseum.org
Armstead operated the Armstead & White Photograph Gallery in Corinth during this period.
bridgemanimages.com
These activities suggest that he resided in Corinth, Mississippi, during the early 1860s.

 

[lelliott19]

Armstead operated during the 1860s, capturing numerous images of Union soldiers and daily life in Corinth, Mississippi, a strategic location during the Civil War.

Cool. I've seen some of those fantastic Corinth daily life images floating around like this one posted by Shiloh National Military Park of the photographer studios at Corinth. You can see the skylights in the roofs and how they used tarps over the skylights to control the amount and direction of the sunlight.

Shiloh NMP caption: "The photography studio of Howard & Hall is on the left, close to the brick Tishomingo Hotel. Note the skylights cut into the roofs of the different studios, and the samples of their craft on the outside walls. Source: Van Hedges Collection. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=769845958507185&set=pcb.769857531839361

I believe Armstead later operated in partnership with J M Elliott at Columbus, OH in the 1870's. I ran across some extant examples bearing the backmark Elliott & Armstead No 95 South High Street. Other marks - Columbus, OH and the full names of Elliott and Armstead -- J M Elliott and G W Armstead -- are printed on the back in the corners. That would have been before he moved to Nebraska.

 

[lelliott19]

The man in the photo looks vaguely familiar to me

Me too. I sent a snip of the image to a friend of mine. A lot of the Iowans who were in Corinth had their images made there and have that backmark. He's going to see if he can ID this handsome bearded soldier.

These activities suggest that he resided in Corinth, Mississippi, during the early 1860s.

I think Armstead was travelling with the Union Army. Not a resident of Corinth. Thats a great image of his studio at Corinth. Do you own that image or know the source?

 

[finley22]

Cool. I've seen some of those fantastic Corinth daily life images floating around like this one posted by Shiloh National Military Park of the photographer studios at Corinth. You can see the skylights in the roofs and how they used tarps over the skylights to control the amount and direction of the sunlight.

Shiloh NMP caption: "The photography studio of Howard & Hall is on the left, close to the brick Tishomingo Hotel. Note the skylights cut into the roofs of the different studios, and the samples of their craft on the outside walls. Source: Van Hedges Collection.
View attachment 540789

I believe Armstead later operated in partnership with J M Elliott at Columbus, OH in the 1870's. I ran across some extant examples bearing the backmark Elliott & Armstead No 95 South High Street. Other marks - Columbus, OH and the full names of Elliott and Armstead -- J M Elliott and G W Armstead -- are printed on the back in the corners. That would have been before he moved to Nebraska.

oh wow, I see his studio there - the skylights are unbelievable. Guess they didn't get a lot of rain!!??!

 

[lelliott19]

These activities suggest that he resided in Corinth, Mississippi, during the early 1860s.

George W Armstead (the photographer) was enumerated on the 1860 US Census for Smithville, Jefferson Township, Franklin County, Ohio in the household of his parents William S Armstead and Phoebe Ann Oakley Armstead. George's occupation is listed as daguerreotype artist. Even though it looks like George M. Armstead, instead of George W --- those are his parents and siblings and he is already a photographer.

He married Charlotte "Lottie" May April 23, 1863 in Ross County, Ohio. By 1870, George (the photographer) and wife Charlotte are enumerated together with their four children and Charlotte's mother on the 1870 US Census for Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio.

I believe George was travelling with the Army as a travelling photographer when the 1862 images were taken. He was back in Ross County Ohio getting married in April 1863, which means your image most likely dates to 1862 or very early 1863.

 

[finley22]

Me too. I sent a snip of the image to a friend of mine. A lot of the Iowans who were in Corinth had their images made there and have that backmark. He's going to see if he can ID this handsome bearded soldier.

I think Armstead was travelling with the Union Army. Not a resident of Corinth. Thats a great image of his studio at Corinth. Do you own that image or know the source?

that's great! No I found that here: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/1045NF

 

[finley22]

George W Armstead (the photographer) was enumerated on the 1860 US Census for Smithville, Jefferson Township, Franklin County, Ohio in the household of his parents William S Armstead and Phoebe Ann Oakley Armstead. George's occupation is listed as daguerreotype artist. Even though it looks like George M. Armstead, instead of George W --- those are his parents and siblings and he is already a photographer.
View attachment 540791

He married Charlotte "Lottie" May April 23, 1863 in Ross County, Ohio. By 1870, George (the photographer) and wife Charlotte are enumerated together with their four children and Charlotte's mother on the 1870 US Census for Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio.
View attachment 540799

I believe George was travelling with the Army as a travelling photographer when the 1862 images were taken. He was back in Ross County Ohio getting married in April 1863, which means your image most likely dates to 1862 or very early 1863.

fascinating - I wonder why he has W and M at different times unless he had 2 middle names??

 

[lelliott19]

fascinating - I wonder why he has W and M at different times unless he had 2 middle names??

I think the census taker just wrote funny. It looks like an M to me, but his name was George Washington Armstead. And he's in the household with his parents and siblings and he's listed as a photographer so no doubt it's the right guy.

EDIT TO ADD: Also, he is the correct age for our GW Armstead who was definitely born in 1833. According to family genealogy, his headstone, and the censuses.

 

[Mike Serpa]

"No Borrow list" at the Internet Archive.

Lens of the War, Exploring Iconic Photographs of the Civil War, 2015, The University of Georgia Press

 

[Mike Serpa]

The photographic history of the Civil war : Miller, Francis Trevelyan, 1877-1959 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Vol. 2

archive.org

 

[finley22]

View attachment 540991

The photographic history of the Civil war : Miller, Francis Trevelyan, 1877-1959 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Vol. 2

archive.org

thanks for all of this info Mike, It is so cool that I actually own one of his photos. A fascinating journey!

 

[Mike Serpa]

thanks for all of this info Mike, It is so cool that I actually own one of his photos. A fascinating journey!

You're welcome.