Confederate and Union Generals Photographic Collection,
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Confederate and Union Generals Photographic Collection,
- Date
- ca. 1860s (inclusive)
- Creator
- Unknown
- Extent
- .5 cu. ft. (1 box): 15 items
- Subjects
- Beauregard, G. T. (Gustave Toutant), 1818-1893
- Bragg, Braxton, 1817-1876
- Buckner, S. B. (Simon Bolivar), 1823-1914
- Confederate States of America
- Davis, Jefferson, 1808-1889
- Davis, Varina, 1826-1906
- Hill, Ambrose Powell, 1825-1865
- Jackson, Thomas Jonathan, 1824-1863
- Johnston, Albert Sidney, 1803-1862
- Johnston, Joseph Eggleston, 1807-1891
- Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1807-1870
- Marshall, Humphrey, 1812-1872
- Price, Sterling, 1809-1867
- Stephens, Alexander Hamilton, 1812-1883
- Thompson, Meriwether Jeff, 1826-1876
- United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Pictorial works
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- During the Civil War, a popular photographic process was albumen printing, and the most popular format for the print was the carte de visite. Albumen (the whites of eggs) was coated on photographic paper, to bond light-sensitive chemicals to the image. When done properly, this produced an image with superior tonality marked by purplish blacks and rich, warm color.
- Since numerous albumen prints could quickly be manufactured from a single negative, popular albumen photographs could be cheaply mass-produced. Such was the case for this collection of Civil War generals (predominantly Confederate), that were distributed nationally much like baseball cards are today. This collection, while not comprehensive, does include portraits of Jefferson Davis, Alexander Hamilton Stephens, Robert E. Lee, and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
- Scope and Content
- The Confederate and Union Generals Photographic Collection, ca. 1860s consists of fifteen images of Civil War generals. The first fourteen are albumen carte de visite portraits of individual Confederate generals and the last image is a gelatin developing-out paper (DOP) copy print portraying a group of Union generals.
Contents of the Collection
Jefferson Davis (1808-1889); President of Confederate States of America,, 1860's
Brigadier General Humphrey Marshall, (1812-1872) C.S.A.; U.S. Congressman (1849-1852, 1855-1859); diplomat to China (1852-1854) and elected to the Confederate Congress,, 1860's
Brigadier General Meriwether Jeff Thompson (1826-1876) C.S.A.; Commander of the First Military District in Missouri,, 1860's
Major General Simon Bolivar Buckner (1823-1914) C.S.A.; organized Kentucky State Militia, one of the most successful Confederate Generals,, 1860's
Major General Sterling Price (1809-1867) C.S.A.; governor of Missouri,, 1860's
General Albert Sidney Johnston (1083-1862) C.S.A.; Commanded western theater; killed at the Battle of Shiloh,, 1860's
General Joseph Eggleston Johnston (1807-1891) C.S.A.; most senior ranked U.S. military figure to join the Confederacy,, 1860's
Lieutenant General Ambrose Powell Hill (1825-1865) C.S.A.; killed during the siege of Petersburg,, 1860's
Alexander Hamilton Stephens (1812-1883); Vice-President of the Confederate States of America,, 1860's
General Robert Edward Lee (1807-1870) C.S.A.; eventually named commander-in-chief of Confederate forces,, 1860's
General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard (1818-1893) C.S.A.; commander at Fort Sumter,, 1860's
General Braxton Bragg (1817-1876), C.S.A.; lead the Army of Tennessee to victory at the Battle of Chickamauga,, 1860's
Lieutenant General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (1824-1863) C.S.A.; major victories at Manassas (twice), Antietam, Chancellorsville,, 1860's
Varina Davis (Mrs. Jefferson Davis) (1826-1906); First Lady of the Confederate States of America,, 1860's
A group picture of Union Generals: Jefferson C. Davis, William. B. Hagan, Oliver O. Howard, John A. Logan, Joseph A. Mouer, William T. Sherman and Dewey W. Slocum,, 1880's
Special Collections Research Center - Closed
The Breckinridge Research Room will be closed starting May 11, 2026, and anticipates re-opening Fall semester 2026 in an alternate location for the duration of the King Library renovation.
Reproduction requests will still be available during the closure.
Contact SCRC with questions.
Table of Contents
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
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Special Collections Research Center - Closed
The Breckinridge Research Room will be closed starting May 11, 2026, and anticipates re-opening Fall semester 2026 in an alternate location for the duration of the King Library renovation.
Reproduction requests will still be available during the closure.
Contact SCRC with questions.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
