Inside Look at Collection of 2,000 Civil War Photos

Tom Liljenquist and his sons, Jason, Brandon and Christian, built a collection of more than 2,000 special portrait photographs, called ambrotypes and tintypes and small card photos called cartes de visite. The photographs show Union and Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and also often show weapons, hats, musical instruments, painted backdrops, and other details that show a bit more about the lives of the soldiers and the culture of the time. The Liljenquist family began donating their collection to the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division back in 2010, and have continued to add to it. You can check out some of the photographs below, courtesy of the Library of Congress.