Item No. 0799737

The dashing young officer featured in this CDV image is William Henry Schieffelin, who in 1860 was heir to a successful New York pharmaceutical company. In the fall of 1862 Schieffelin was commissioned major in the 1st New York Mounted Rifles. He would resign the following March. In the image, which was produced by Charles Fredricks of New York, Schiefellin poses wearing a double-breasted jacket with rank visible on his shoulder straps, along with thigh-high cavalry boots. Under heavy gauntlets his hands hold the hilt of his drawn cavalry saber, the scabbard for which hangs from his leather sword belt. On the front of his cap is the crossed-sabers insignia of the cavalry, along with a “1” and what appears to be “M.R.” for Mounted Rifles. On the reverse is the Fredricks imprint along with a modern pencil identification (though misspelled). Throughout his service, Schieffelin remained on the board of his family’s company, which was the longest-running pharmaceutical business in the United States. The albumen is in excellent condition, with the mount trimmed down to about 2 1/4” x 3 7/8”.