"I recently acquired what I believe is a previously unknown carte de visite photograph of Augustus B. Sage that is inscribed by him. I am a collector of a broad swath of Americana, and have collected Charles Bushnell's antiquarian historical writings for years. I learned of the Bushnell-Sage connection through Sage's token with Bushnell's bust, then learned more from David Bowers's book about Sage. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time to acquire this signed photograph."

"Based on my on-line research about Sage, I think there's an opportunity for someone to write an "addendum" to Mr. Bowers's book—not dealing with the founding of the ANS, but with Sage's life. Various archives have been digitized since the Bowers book on Sage was issued in 1998 that were probably not available to him. They include Sage's correspondence with his family and commanding officer during the Civil War.

One inquiry I would appreciate posing to the readers of E-Sylum: what is the origin of the photograph of Augustus B. Sage in his Civil War uniform—until now, the only known photograph of him? It is reproduced in the Bowers book and on many websites, but without an indication of provenance or any information that might be gleaned from the photographer's imprint on the reverse of the photo."

Wow, great discovery! - thank you. The uniformed Sage photo is shown above for comparison - I found it on the ANS Augustus B. Sage Society page. Can anyone supply its provenance? Where was it first published? -Editor

"What a sensational find! I was not aware of this image prior to the current fund.

"The carte de visite format was patented in France in 1854, but was not widely used in the U.S. until 1859. This mustachioed image therefore dates to just prior to Sage's military service, or afterwards. My guess is afterwards. Research on the photographer in New York directories could be helpful in identifying a range of possible dates.

"The writer is certainly correct that a better biography of Sage could be constructed making use of sources that were unavailable to Dave Bowers nearly 30 years ago. "