Civil War tintype photos

I read about this fabulous donation by the Liljenquist Family to the Library of Congress here http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/lilj/ .  I found an article about it in the January issue of Military Officer magazine I receive each month.  It is really worth taking a look at the article as well as pictures of some of the tintypes and ambrotypes that are on Flickr here Civil War Faces. 

This little girl is described in mourning dress holding a picture of her father.

This wonderful piece commemorates a lost son.  It's his childhood picture and a lock of his hair.  He was killed in 1865 at the age of 18.

And finally this young man in his union uniform with the American flag in the background.  These are just 3 of the 66 images in the Flickr collection Civil War Faces.

I am amazed by this collection.  I am amazed at the great condition all of these are in.  The Liljenquist Family has donated over 700 tintypes and ambrotypes of Civil War faces to the Library of  Congress and I look forward to seeing more of this fabulous collection!

My week

I guess you could say that this sketch depicts my feelings this week. I seem to be drawn to the TV or radio to listen to the latest bad news. As a result, MY HAIR IS ON FIRE! I am mad, mad, mad!! Nothing I can do about any of it! So I drew this sketch and felt better. I have also turned off the TV and radio programs that are nothing but media hype and bad news. I went shopping and bought two new magazines to look at to take my mind off of the mess that is out there. You will find me on the couch enjoying music and quiet reading this afternoon. My hair should quit burning soon!!

Yesterday I spent part of the day with my artsy, good friend, Joy. Don't you love that name? I do! I was helping her pull together a large collage that she has wanted to do for a long time. It is for her kitchen. Her house is all western!! I love to be in her house! The collage she is doing is western. Should be lovely when she is done.

Joy graciously allowed me to bring home this old family photo of hers to scan in. I just fell in love with this little girl immediately.

She is a relative of Joy's, but she doesn't know who it is. No identification is on the back of the photo. The little kitten is particularly cute, don't you think? I would date this picture at mid to late 1800's. I have seen similar dress styles on little girl pictures that date to just after the Civil War.See what I mean? These two old vintage photos are post Civil War era, but not late 1800's. The dresses in the photo on the left look a lot like the little girl with the kitten. That photo is actually dated 1865 and has a "U.S. Inter. Rev." tax stamp on it. Those stamps were only issued during the Civil War to prove that a tax was paid on an item, like that photo. The little girl in the right photo is dated 1867. Thanks, Joy, for sharing the photo with me.

Meet my nephew, Preston Sky King

Yep! You read right, Preston Sky King. My sister and brother-in-law decided on that name -- Preston was a family friend, and, of course, Sky King was one of our favorite shows when we were kids.

Preston does Civil War reenactments. He started doing that in high school and is now a good authority on the Civil War. He hopes to be able to join the park service and become a guide at a Civil War battlefield site back east. He has already obtained an application for a summer internship for next summer. I think he will get it. I am amazed at his knowledge of the Civil War. He is also very personable, easy to talk to, and very friendly. He would be a perfect guide.

Preston decided to participate in the Gettysburg reenactment that took place over the Fourth of July weekend. He flew back east from California and had a ball doing the reenactment.Preston is the only bearded one in this shot!Getting ready for a skirmish!Here is Preston in full gear. I have several pictures on my wall of group pictures of Preston's regiment in Fresno. The pics were taken with a restored camera that would have been used during the Civil War. They look very old even though they aren't.