Wild West Purveyor's, Historians and Historic Sites

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Monday, October 19, 2026

Military Photos; Photographer Mv (Von) Fielitz: By G.C. Stevens

Military Cabinet Card, Taken by M. (v) Von Feilitz recently acquired by the author. 

I knew this card was special when I bought it. A mystery I'd like to solve, is finding out where this photo was taken. An important clue here is the fact that the soldier is holding a musket, possibly a Springfield Rifled Musket, and he's leaning upon what appears to be an actual Dahlgren Gun, which makes me think that this was taken at an actual fortification, and with the nature of the gun, it  could suggest a location such as a coastal fortification, but there's no way of knowing that without further context.

The Following information was gleaned from the internet, however a link at the bottom, will lead the reader to an auction house sale of a similar military photo from the same photographer, M (v) Von Fielitz.   

Though biographical documentation on von Fielitz remains sparse, though historical artifacts and surviving photographic prints provide important key details about their work and place in photographic history: M. von Fielitz operated a  commercial photography studio in New York during the late Victorian era, active primarily in the late 1880s through the 1890s. The studio specialized in cabinet cards and studio portraits, which were the dominant formats for formal portraiture in the late 19th century.   Notable to the author is the subject Matter at hand: Military & Historical Figures: Von Fielitz is notably recorded in historical archives for studio backstamps on rare Spanish-American War era cabinet cards (circa 1898). Among these are documented portraits of soldiers, including scarce identified Black Spanish-American War soldiers stationed or processing through New York.   Late 19th-Century Civilians & Uniformed Servicemen: Various surviving 1890s portraits bearing the "M. von Fielitz, New York" backstamp exist in vintage ephemera collections, antique auctions, and historical military archives.

Alex Autographs auction. Similar 

https://www.alexautographs.com/auction-lot/identified-black-spanish-american-war-soldiers_F7JKAWAZSJ?hl=en-US

copyright. 2026

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