Cartes De Visite of William Starke Rosecrans in West Point Cadet Uniform, 1837-42

According to Wikipedia:  "The carte de visite or CDV (also carte-de-visite) was a type of small photograph which was patented in Paris, France by photographer André Adolphe Eugène Disdéri in 1854.   It was usually made of an albumen print, which was a thin paper photograph mounted on a thicker paper card. The size of a carte de visite is 2⅛ × 3½ inches mounted on a card sized 2½ × 4 inches. It was made popular in 1859 in Europe, and from 1860 in the United States. The new invention was so popular it was known as "cardomania"and eventually spread throughout the world."

The size of the cards made them ideal for trading among family and friends.   However, by the Civil War, people began collecting CDV's of famous men and particularly those made famous by the war.  Special albums were sold to store the collected cdv's and were very popular in Victorian parlors.

William S Rosecrans worked for his father in a general store in Homer.  A George Arnold opened a store in Utica and offered William a job.  Later when Arnold moved his store to Mansfield  William moved.   One day William was the driver for T. W. Bartley, future Supreme Court Judge of Ohio,  on a trip to Columbus.  Bartley enjoyed the trip so much. he encouraged him to get an education.  Rosecrans and his father began a correspondence with their congressman and secured an appointment at West Point.  William spent time at Kenyon College to prepare for the West Point examination and entered the school in 1837 at the age of 18.  When he graduated in 1842 he was 5th in general merit and 3rd in mathematics.

This leads one to believe this CDV was made long after he graduated.
                                                                                                    this card is property of Polly Horn

Thomas Wolke sent the following CDV
 

(01/12/2010)