Description

This fine quarter plate Neff’s patent melainotype is one of the most iconic of Confederate images.  It was most notably published on page 73 in Greg Mast’s groundbreaking work State Troops and Volunteers, A Photographic Record of North Carolina’s Civil War Soldiers, Volume 1.  It was also published in Lon W. Keim’s Confederate General Service Accoutrement Plates, Dom Serrano’s Still More Confederate Faces, and William W. Ivey’s North Carolina Schools of Longrifles 1765-1865.  The image most likely dates from the first year of the war, and depicts a young soldier wearing the gray cap, trousers and sack coat with black epaulets required by the North Carolina 1861 regulations.  His leather belt is secured with a rectangular plate that appears to be of the tinned sheet iron variety.  A cap box is on the belt and can be seen under his right arm.  He is triple armed with a Model 1842 US musket and two handguns that appear to be a Colt 1849 Pocket Model and a Smith & Wesson Model 1.  The best parts of the image are actually the canteen and haversack.  The drum canteen is draped over his right shoulder and supported by a cloth strap with roller buckle.  The haversack is over his other shoulder and has a shiny appearance, likely tarred canvas, or rubberized cloth.  Canteens and haversacks are rarer in images than multiple weapons.  The image exhibits some spotting which can primarily be seen in the background, and which does not detract from the soldier.  It is housed in a complete leatherette case with repaired spine.  This image is for the advanced collector who is very discriminating in his collecting criteria.  A triple armed quarter plate Confederate image with multiple accoutrements is exceedingly rare, particularly given the addition of the North Carolina issue uniform and sheet iron belt plate.  A similar image may not come on the market for quite some time.