COLLECTION OF FORTY-EIGHT PORTRAIT ENGRAVINGS OF UNION AND CONFEDERATE LEADERS IN CARTE-DE-VISITE FORMAT, INSERTED INTO A PERIOD ALBUM

[New York: Elias Dexter; one by L. Prang, 1863. Forty-eight handsome portrait engravings of important Civil War figures, including Lincoln and Cabinet members, Union Army and Navy leaders, Jefferson Davis, and others. Each mounted within a decorative stiff card frame with gilt border. Portraits are clear and clean, most with an identifying slip [the slips are loose and not pasted to the engravings], only one or two with some light wear to picture. They are preceded by a decorative title page. Bound in original cloth, "Album" stamped in gilt on the spine. Spine cloth chipped at head and foot, slightly shaken but covers firm. The portraits are not glued in, but rather placed into the frame from the bottom and the bottom then sealed. The cards have the name of the subject below the portrait and the imprint at the bottom, and are in Near Fine to Fine condition.

The portrait of Lincoln is based on a popular photograph taken by Mathew Brady on or around May 16, 1861. The remaining portraits include: Seward, Stanton, Chase, Welles, Winfield Scott, Wool, Commodore Davis, Foote, Wilkes, Porter, Farragut, Stringham, Com. Dupont, Lieut. Worden, McClellan, Halleck, Dix, Gen. Grant, Gen. Curtis, Franklin, Mitchel, Burnside, Pope, Fitz Porter, Sigel, Banks, Lander, Heintzelman, Rosecrans, McDowell, Buell, Ben Butler, Anderson, Baker, Shields, McCook, Col. Wilcox, Benham, Sherman, Lyon, Mansfield, Hunter, Parson Brownlow, Gov. Sprague, Jefferson Davis, Gen. Beauregard, Magruder. The imprints are from Elias Dexter, excepting the Magruder [which has the imprint of L. Prang & Co., Boston & Washington]; and possibly one other.
Elias Dexter [1816-1897] was an engraver, publisher, photographer and frame maker. He is best known for his 1862 publication The St.-Memin Collection of Portraits. Louis Prang [1824-1909] was a printer, lithographer and publisher. He is sometimes called the father of the American Christmas card.