Item No. 8238088

A vignette CDV from a portrait of William Henry Seward, who served as Governor of New York, U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. One of Lincoln’s closest advisers throughout the Civil War, Seward played a central role in preserving foreign neutrality, preventing European recognition of the Confederacy, and guiding Union diplomacy. He survived a near-fatal assassination attempt on the same night President Lincoln was shot and remained in office through the early years of Reconstruction. The carte has been trimmed down to about 2 1/8” x 3 1/4”.

The photograph was part of a family album assembled by Bernard John Dowling Irwin, the noted army surgeon, naturalist, and Medal of Honor recipient.