Civil War field grade officer, Cincinnati Ohio

This is a nice photograph of a currently unknown Civil War field grade officer.

It is a bust shot and not particularly exciting.

A close examination of the mount, reveals that the cdv came from a very desirable Cincinnati photographer.

Impressed on the lower left corner of the mount and into the image is "J.P. Ball, 30 W. 4th ST".

James Pressley Ball was a pioneering African American photographer. He opened his Gallery of the West in Cincinnati in 1847. He continued to operate in Ohio into the 1880s, when he moved to Minnesota.

Ball's images are highly collected no matter the subject.