LOT #47091 |
Current Bid: $825
Large Hand-Tinted Albumen of George A. Custer and Leroy S. Elbert....
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Description
Libbie Custer's oversized albumen of Custer and Leroy Elbert
Large Hand-Tinted Albumen of George A. Custer and Leroy S.
Elbert. 10 1/8 x 13 1/8 inches, mounted to a larger sheet of
cardstock and framed in a late 19th-century frame, original to the
albumen, to an overall size of 16 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches. This
portrait is identified by D. Mark Katz in Custer in
Photographs (1990) as originating from a sitting taken by Henry
Ulke in Washington, D.C., in April 1863. In its original frame as
passed down from Libbie to her niece May Custer Elmer.Shown at left is Leroy S. Elbert, who had just been promoted to captain in the 3rd U.S. Cavalry on March 11, 1863, and was immediately ordered west to join his regiment. Tragically, his service was brief. Six months later, in September 1863, he died of typhoid fever aboard the steamboat City of Alton. To his right is Custer, then a young cavalry officer rapidly rising through the ranks of the Army. Within weeks of this sitting he would be promoted to brigadier general of volunteers, becoming one of the youngest generals in the Union Army at age twenty-three.
Condition: Lightly toned with a few very minor stains. Cardstock mount moderately toned with some foxing. Frame with wear commensurate with age, including minor scuffs or scratches.
Reference: Katz, D. Mark. Custer in Photographs. New York: Bonanza Books, 1990, p. 10.
Provenance: Presented by Elizabeth Bacon Custer to May Custer Elmer; thence by descent and inheritance to our consignor.
Auction Info
2026 February 26 Historical Manuscripts & Texana Signature® Auction #6328 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
February
26th
Thursday
10:50 am CT
Auction Dates
February
26th
Thursday
Proxy Bidding Time Remaining
3 Days
1h 17m 43s
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 9
Lot Tracking Activity: 18
Page Views: 174
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% of the successful bid (minimum $49) per lot.
This lot is in: 1 -
Signature® Floor Session (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 47001-47282) - 11:00 AM Central Time, Thursday, February 26, 2026.
[Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live now starts within 2 hours of when the auction opens for proxy bidding and continues through the live session.]
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Additional Location Info:
Heritage Auctions
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, TX 75261
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