Two African American Boys in Military Dress, by N. A. Mills, Dubuque

Two boys stand side by side in a Dubuque studio, both dressed for soldiering. The smaller boy wears a dark, nine-button jacket buttoned to the throat, oversized light trousers and plain shoes, and holds a soft cap at his side. The taller boy has gone further: a kepi, a jacket crowded with buttons, fringed epaulettes, a cord across the chest, baggy light trousers and tall boots, one hand tucked into his coat in the pose a grown officer would strike. Behind them, a plain backdrop and a patterned studio floor cloth; one boot rests on the base of the posing stand.

Where and when. The backmark is the strongest evidence on the card. Dubuque city directories place N. A. Mills, photographer, at the southeast corner of Main and 5th from 1865 through 1868–69; by 1870–71 he had moved to 125 Main, and by 1880 he was selling real estate. The square-cornered mount and simple blue rules fit the mid-1860s. Carte de visite photographs sold between August 1, 1864 and August 1, 1866 were required to carry a federal revenue stamp; this card has none. That points to a sitting after the tax ended — roughly 1866 to 1869 — though an unstamped card from 1865 cannot be ruled out. Working date: c. 1865–1869, most likely just after the Civil War. Pinned to the studio at Main and 5th, Dubuque, Iowa.

The story. These are two African American boys photographed, in or just after the war, in a river town on the Mississippi. Iowa's Black regiment, the 1st Iowa Infantry (African Descent), later the 60th U.S. Colored Infantry, was organized in 1863, and Black boys served the Union armies as drummers, servants and camp hands; portraits of boys in uniform became some of the most powerful images of the period. This card belongs to that world, but the card itself does not tell us who these boys were or whether either ever served. The clothes are a mix: the taller boy's outfit reads as a deliberate military costume — kepi, epaulettes, boots — while the smaller boy's jacket could be a cut-down uniform or ordinary clothing. They may be soldiers' sons, camp boys who came north with a regiment, members of a parade or drill company, or simply two friends dressed up for the camera. What is certain is that someone paid a Main Street photographer to make this picture, and that the boys stand proudly, looking straight at us.

What we do not know. The boys are unidentified. No name, unit or date is written on the card, and we will not guess a name from appearance. If a matching print or record ever turns up — another copy of this card, a Mills negative register, or a Dubuque newspaper notice — it can be added here with its source.