This Collection:
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- About this Collection
- Ambrotypes and Tintypes in the Liljenquist Collection
- Background and Scope
- Bibliography
- Revealing Details: Take a Closer Look at the Photographs
- Photographers Represented in the Liljenquist Collection
- Related Resources
- Rights And Restrictions
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![Unidentified soldier in Union uniform, betw. 1861 and 1865.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130107124533im_/http://www.loc.gov/pictures/static/data/lilj/banner.jpg)
Unidentified soldier in Union uniform, betw. 1861 and 1865.
All images are digitized | All jpegs/tiffs display outside Library of Congress | View All
About this Collection
New Photos Added! View the most recent additions
![]() View: Confederate Images |
![]() View: Union Images |
![]() View: Women & Children |
Summary: More than 1,000 special portrait photographs, called ambrotypes and tintypes, represent both Union and Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War (1861-1865). The photographs often show weapons, hats, canteens, musical instruments, painted backdrops, and other details that enhance the research value of the collection. Among the most rare images are sailors, African Americans in uniform, Lincoln campaign buttons, and portraits of soldiers with their families and friends.
Tom Liljenquist and his sons Jason, Brandon, and Christian built this collection in memory of President Abraham Lincoln and the 620,000 Union and Confederate servicemen who died in the American Civil War. For many, these photographs are the last known record we have of who they were and what they looked like. See "From the Donor's Perspective--The Last Full Measure" for the full story.
The Liljenquist Family began donating their collection to the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division in 2010 and continues to add to it. In addition to the ambrotypes and tintypes, the collection also includes several manuscripts, patriotic envelopes, photographs on paper, and artifacts related to the Civil War.
![]() View: Patriotic Envelopes & Letters |
![]() View: Paper Photos & Memorabilia |
![]() View: Photo Cases |
New Resource! Glimpses of Soldiers' Lives
A set of essays offers glimpses of the lives of particular soldiers--what they
ate and whom they missed, how far they marched in the mud, when they were
wounded or captured or at last discharged. The biographies are accompanied
by relevant photographs and drawings from Library of Congress collections
that depict where individuals fought or were imprisoned.
An April 2011 exhibition of the collection, The Last Full Measure: Civil War Photographs from the Liljenquist Family Collection, commemorates the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War.
For ideas on using these photos with students, see the Library's Teaching With Primary Sources Journal, Winter 2012, Teacher Spotlight and the "Visual Arts" section of the article Teaching About the Civil War with Primary Sources Across Disciplines.
You can also enjoy this collection in Flickr, where public comments provide additional information about images in the set called Civil War Faces.
A slideshow of staff favorites is another good way to sample the collection.
Note: These photographs can be published without requesting permission.