{"product_id":"imperial-german-cdv-photograph-holstein-infantry-soldier-rendsburg-original","title":"Imperial German CDV Photograph Holstein Infantry Soldier Rendsburg Original","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eOriginal Imperial German period \u003cem\u003ecarte-de-visite\u003c\/em\u003e (CDV) format photograph depicting a young enlisted soldier in service uniform, produced by the studio of \u003cem\u003eJ. Leschen, Rendsburg\u003c\/em\u003e and surviving in its original mounted format with the studio imprint intact at the lower mount face. The image dates to the late Imperial period, most likely the years between 1895 and 1910, and reflects the standard pattern of period German military portraiture in which serving soldiers commissioned formal studio photographs during their term of active duty for distribution to family members and inclusion in personal albums and mantel displays.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe card measures approximately 2.5 by 4 inches (6.4 by 10.2 centimeters) in the smaller \u003cem\u003ecarte-de-visite\u003c\/em\u003e format that preceded and overlapped with the larger cabinet card standard. The mount is constructed of dark brown card stock with a slightly recessed central well into which the albumen or gelatin silver photographic print has been affixed. The studio identification \u003cem\u003eJ. Leschen, Rendsburg\u003c\/em\u003e is impressed in fine italic script at the lower face of the mount. The reverse of the mount is plain card stock without printed studio backstamp.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe subject is photographed in a vignetted bust-length pose, three-quarter view turned slightly to the viewer's left, against a plain studio backdrop. He is shown as a young man with neatly parted dark hair worn short and brushed back from the forehead, a carefully trained mustache in the period style with the ends drawn outward, and a steady direct expression. He wears the standard Imperial German enlisted \u003cem\u003eWaffenrock\u003c\/em\u003e (parade and walking-out tunic) in dark cloth, configured with the regulation \u003cem\u003eStehkragen\u003c\/em\u003e (standing collar) closed at the throat, a single row of approximately eight buttons running down the front of the tunic, and the characteristic piping running parallel to the button placket that distinguished the line infantry parade tunic of the period. A lighter-toned shoulder strap is visible at his left shoulder, though the regimental cypher or numerals applied to the strap cannot be read with certainty from the angle of the photograph.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eRendsburg, located on the Eider River and the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal in Schleswig-Holstein, was the principal Prussian garrison town of the region during the Imperial period and served as the home garrison of the \u003cem\u003eInfanterie-Regiment \"Herzog von Holstein\" (Holsteinisches) Nr. 85\u003c\/em\u003e, the senior Holstein line infantry regiment of the Prussian establishment, formed in 1866 and stationed at Rendsburg from that date until the dissolution of the Imperial army in 1919. The regiment was a component of the 36th Infantry Brigade, 18th Infantry Division, IX Army Corps, and saw active service in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 to 1871 as well as throughout the 1914 to 1918 campaign. Additional units stationed at Rendsburg during the Imperial period included the \u003cem\u003eSchleswig-Holsteinisches Train-Bataillon Nr. 9\u003c\/em\u003e and a battalion of the \u003cem\u003eLauenburgisches Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr. 45\u003c\/em\u003e installed in the Artillerie-Kaserne at Rendsburg-Neuwerk from approximately 1903 to 1905. Given the studio location and the line infantry pattern of the \u003cem\u003eWaffenrock\u003c\/em\u003e, the subject is most likely an enlisted ranker of the \u003cem\u003eInfanterie-Regiment Nr. 85\u003c\/em\u003e, though without a clearly readable shoulder strap cypher, the specific regimental attribution cannot be conclusively confirmed from the photograph alone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe studio of J. Leschen operated as a portrait photography establishment serving the Rendsburg garrison and civil population during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, producing the standardized soldier portraits commissioned by enlisted men, NCOs, and junior officers during their active service. Studio cards of this type, identified by the Rendsburg studio imprint, are documented in private collections, period albums, and institutional photographic archives covering the Schleswig-Holstein military region.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eFor the collector, original Imperial German soldier \u003cem\u003ecarte-de-visite\u003c\/em\u003e and cabinet portraits are foundational components of any serious collection focused on Imperial German uniform study, regimental history, and the visual culture of the Kaiserreich military establishment. CDV-format examples in identified period mounts with legible studio imprints linking the image to a specific garrison town are particularly useful as research and reference material, as the studio location often allows reasonable inference of regimental affiliation even when uniform details are insufficient to identify the unit independently. The combination of the Rendsburg studio attribution, the dark line infantry Waffenrock, and the characteristic period pose and grooming makes this a representative and informative example of late Imperial German garrison-town portraiture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eCondition is consistent with the age and handling history of the card. The mount retains good structural integrity with light edge wear and minor corner softening. The photographic image shows the silvering, surface scratching, and minor abrasion in the emulsion characteristic of original-period prints of this age, with the subject's features and uniform details remaining clearly legible despite the surface wear. Some scattered marks and minor losses to the photographic emulsion are visible in the background and lower portions of the image. The studio imprint at the lower mount face is present and legible. The reverse of the mount is plain and shows light age toning to the card stock. No restoration is observed. The card displays as an honest original period portrait suitable for collection display, archival study, or thematic mounting alongside other Schleswig-Holstein or IX Army Corps material.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49496004100335,"sku":"40-04","price":98.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/9169\/5855\/files\/40-04_1.jpg?v=1778097259","url":"https:\/\/derrittmeister.com\/products\/imperial-german-cdv-photograph-holstein-infantry-soldier-rendsburg-original","provider":"Derrittmeister Militaria Group","version":"1.0","type":"link"}