An authentic Civil War-era New England Victorian carte de visite (CDV) featuring a full-length standing studio portrait of an unidentified woman. She is beautifully captured in mid-1860s wartime civilian style, wearing her hair smoothly parted down the center and drawn flat over her temples into low rolled pads behind her ears. She is dressed in a magnificent, exceptionally tailored day dress constructed from a heavy, shimmering silk or taffeta textile that catches the studio window lighting in broad, high-contrast structural folds. Her bodice features tight torso seams and long sleeves, with her historic silhouette completed by a massive, voluminous crinoline hoop skirt.

Most notably, her outfit is exceptionally accessorized with a highly visible, long delicate metallic slider style pocket watch chain or guard chain that wraps around her neck and loops deeply down the front center of her chest bodice. Her formal neckline is complete with a high dark collar, a flat white starched turnover collar band, and a narrow dark silk cravat ribbon bow tie flatly secured at her throat.

The photograph is presented on its original thin card stock mount featuring period-correct sharp, square corners and a completely plain card face without printed border rules framing the portrait face. The subject is captured in a natural pose standing proudly while resting her right arm over a decorative classical column pedestal prop, set against a rich studio background detailing a draped interior fabric curtain, a small side table holding a reading book, and an upholstered parlor stool. The reverse features a clean, beautifully preserved typographic backstamp for Edw. W. Johnson, operating inside the historic Noyes Block in Nashua, New Hampshire. Edward W. Johnson was a notable early documentarian in Hillsborough County, and his collectible regional studio mark combined with the subject's pristine wartime garments and rare jewelry chain provides an outstanding centerpiece specimen for advanced collectors.