(Civil War Photography, New Mexico History, American West) RARE CDV OF CHRISTOPHER "KIT" CARSON AND EDWIN PERRIN.
New York: E. & H. T. Anthony, [1862]. Albumen carte-de-visite photograph mounted on original cardstock, measuring 4" x 2-3/8". Studio portrait taken in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in January 1862, depicting Colonel Kit Carson standing at left in his Union Army frock coat alongside government expediter Edwin Perrin, seated with a walking cane. Publisher imprint of E. & H. T. Anthony on verso.
The physical condition of the photograph is graded (6/10) - VERY GOOD (utilizing a standardized 10-point scale for photographic prints and original works of art, indicating moderate or mild condition issues that attract the eye under normal viewing conditions). Tone remains clear with light spotting and light, uniform age toning across the card mount.
Civil War Operations in the Southwestern Theater and the New Mexico Campaign
Taken in Albuquerque in January 1862, this rare studio portrait captures Kit Carson during his military service as colonel of the 1st New Mexico Volunteer Infantry alongside Edwin Perrin. Sent to New Mexico in 1861 by United States Secretary of War Simon Cameron, Perrin acted as a secret government expediter tasked with helping arm local Union troops as Confederate forces under General Henry Hopkins Sibley prepared to invade the territory. Perrin worked directly alongside Carson during the defensive preparations leading up to the Battle of Valverde in February 1862 and remained attached to Carson's Southwest command throughout the early Civil War operations in the Southwestern Theater.
Production Scarcity and Historical Preservation
Published by New York photographic firm E. & H. T. Anthony from negatives acquired during the Southwestern conflict, this dual portrait represents a rare survivor among contemporary visual records documenting Union military leadership on the New Mexico frontier. A current global sweep of the OCLC/WorldCat database locates no recorded institutional copies. Carte-de-visite portraiture produced in Southwestern territorial outposts during active Civil War mobilization remains inherently scarce due to limited studio supplies, transport hazards, and restricted commercial distribution.
EXCEEDINGLY RARE 1862 CARTE-DE-VISITE CAPTURING KIT CARSON AND UNION EXPEDITER EDWIN PERRIN AT THE OUTSET OF THE NEW MEXICO CIVIL WAR CAMPAIGN, REPRESENTING A CRITICAL ACQUISITION FOR INSTITUTIONAL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS OR EXTRAORDINARY PRIVATE COLLECTIONS DEVOTED TO THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, NINETEENTH-CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHY, OR THE AMERICAN WEST.
# 000712