Item No. 1271870

General Ulysses S. Grant appears in this CDV portrait by photographer Frederick Gutekunst in the spring of 1865. It is one of Grant’s more famous poses as the future president stands casually with a hand in his pant pocket and a mourning ribbon around his arm in memory of the recently slain Abraham Lincoln. The image was widely printed by distributors at the time. This carte, however, was produced by Gutekunst’s own Philadelphia studio and bears his imprint on both sides. It measures about 2 3/8” x 4”. Above the Gutekunst imprint on the reverse are the adhesive remnants where a revenue stamp was once attached.

Grant graduated from West Point in 1843 and served with distinction during the Mexican War before resigning from the army in 1854. Returning to military service at the outbreak of the Civil War, he rose rapidly through the ranks, securing key Union victories at Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga. Appointed General-in-Chief of all Union armies in 1864, Grant directed the campaigns that led to the surrender of Confederate forces in 1865 and later served two terms as the 18th President of the United States.