Rare Signed Salt Print Albumen of Civil War Rear Admiral Joseph Smith

Rare Signed Large-Format Salt Print Albumen Photograph of Rear Admiral Joseph Smith, USN (1790–1877)
 
This exceptional and exceedingly rare 9 x 11-inch signed salt print albumen photograph captures Rear Admiral Joseph Smith, a distinguished and long-serving officer of the United States Navy whose career spanned over six decades and included pivotal roles in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, and the American Civil War.
 
Born in Boston on March 30, 1790, Joseph Smith entered the Navy as a midshipman in 1809. He rose through the ranks with notable valor, serving as first lieutenant on the USS Eagle during the Battle of Lake Champlain in 1814, where he was severely wounded and later received the Thanks of Congress along with a commemorative silver medal. By the 1840s, he commanded squadrons in the Mediterranean, and in 1846 he was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks—a position he held until 1869. During the Civil War, despite being placed on the retired list in 1861 (after 52 years of service), he remained on active duty and played a crucial role as a member of the Ironclad Board, overseeing the design and construction of the revolutionary USS Monitor, the Union's first ironclad warship.
 
Tragically, Smith's son, Lieutenant Joseph B. Smith, was killed in action on March 8, 1862, while serving as executive officer aboard the USS Congress during its destruction by the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia (ex-USS Merrimack). In recognition of his contributions, Joseph Smith was promoted to rear admiral on the retired list in July 1862—one of the earliest officers to receive this rank.
 
This impressive portrait, produced in the large 9 by 11-inch format typical of important mid-19th-century presentation photographs, is a fine albumen print from a salt print negative (a rare and early photographic process prized for its rich tonal range and subtle detail). The image depicts the admiral in full uniform, exuding the dignity and authority of a senior naval leader during one of the most transformative periods in American history.
 
Most remarkably, the photograph bears a bold, authentic manuscript signature of Rear Admiral Joseph Smith in ink—elevating it from a standard portrait to a personally inscribed relic of immense historical significance. Signed examples from this era, particularly in this generous size and process, are extraordinarily scarce.
 
A superb addition to any advanced collection of Civil War naval history, American photography, or 19th-century Americana, this piece represents a direct, tangible connection to one of the Navy's most respected elder statesmen and a key figure in the birth of modern ironclad warfare.