I recently helped collector Francis Guber identify one of his "unknowns" which happened to be a Co. F 1st U.S.S.S. man. In return he shared with me two excellent portraits of the Ripley family of Vermont. As you know William Young Ripley was the lieutenant colonel of the 1st U.S. Sharpshooters during their early formation and through the Peninsula Campaign of 1862. He was severely wounded after bringing reinforcements to the left flank of the line at Malvern Hill, an action that earned him the Medal of Honor.
In this first image Ripley is standing at left among his two brothers and their father. This albumen was taken after the family was reunited at the end of the war.
The painting at left in the image below is not a random piece of art but rather a portrait of the Ripley siblings in their youth. The image is a period photograph of the original painting. At right the siblings reenact the pose seen in their own portrait. The young girl leaning her head on William Young Ripley's shoulder may be a daughter of one of the siblings and a stand-in for a sister who might have died or been absent from the studio.
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Brian WhiteWambaugh, White, & Companyhttp://www.wwandcompany.com----------------------------------
Randolph Mess, U.S. Sharpshooters