Rare Full Plate Pre-Civil War Ambrotype of U.S. Navy Paymaster Joseph Wilson

Rare Full Plate Pre-Civil War Ambrotype of U.S. Navy Paymaster Joseph Wilson – This rarely encountered, full plate ambrotype depicts USN Paymaster Joseph Wilson, sometime in the mid to late 1850s. Joseph Wilson entered the Navy as a Paymaster, on July 24, 1813, initially serving on the brig “Rattlesnake”, with subsequent service on the following vessels: ship “Argus” in 1814; the brig “Savannah”, in 1815; the frigate “Macedonian”, in 1817 (remaining there for four years); the schooner “Shark”, in 1824; the frigate “Guerriere”, in 1828, for four years; the ship “Preble”, in 1840; the ship “Lexington”, in 1846, for four years; the steamship “Powhatan”, in 1861. He served as an Inspector at the Boston Navy Yard during the Civil War.

Wilson was born in Marblehead, Massachusetts, in 1788 and died, at his residence, Black Will’s Cliff, in Swampscott, Massachusetts, on June 19, 1875. During the latter part of his tenure in the navy, Wilson was the oldest Paymaster in the service and described as a “most correct and methodical man.” According to period accounts, “it is said that his accounts with the government never varied a dollar, and he enjoyed, as he deserved, the fullest confidence of the authorities in the Navy Department.” During the last years of his life, Wilson was placed on the retired list, with a rank of Commodore.

Joseph Wilson – Birth: 30 Oct 1788 – USA; Death: 19 Jun 1875 – Swampscott, Massachusetts, USA; Marriage: 14 Aug 1814 – Spouse: Jane Peters Greene

In this image, Wilson is wearing the Undress Uniform for a Paymaster over 12 Years in grade. This uniform was authorized in August, 1856 and remained in effect until the 31st of July 1862. The epaulettes are typical navy epaulettes of the pre-Civil War period, with a gold metal crescent around the frog; the metal crescent was worn by all staff officers in the navy. The epaulettes were plain (nothing on the strap or frog). In reality, during this period, there was no way to tell a set of paymaster epaulettes from those worn by other staff officers, with the exception of engineers – their straps were silver instead of gold. The two three quarter inch stripes on his sleeve indicate that he had a “relative rank” equal to a navy Commander (or Lieutenant Colonel in the Army). This “relative rank” afforded Wilson essentially the same privileges as a navy commander, although he was not thereby slated to command a ship; he could only command and direct other paymasters.

The image is accompanied by a CDV with ID on the verso.  It is not an understatement to note the rarity of full, or whole, plate Civil War ambrotypes. The plate is housed in a high quality, reproduction full case.

Condition: Plate is in overall very good condition; there are some “veins” of emulsion loss in the lower, left corner area of the plate – they are minor and do not intrude into the image proper.