There is a bit of information about this person written in flowing penmanship on the back of this CDV; his name, Philip Eden, and the fact that he was a graduate of the "Class of '72 (that would be 1872). The photographer's information is also there, one N.P. Jones of Madison, Wisconsin.
So I googled Philip Eden, Class of 1872, and I found some interesting information.
There is a Philip Eden listed on Page 110 of the University of Wisconsin Madison 1872 class album, with a short handwritten biography. Some of the information they recorded are things no one today would think to put in a college year book, and some of it I found odd. And it was all written in that wordy, cumbersome & formal 19th century style.
Here are some interesting facts about Mr. Philip Eden, represented in the picture above. He was 27 years old when he graduated from college:
Born March 5, 1845, Mineral Point, WI
He was 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighed 136 lbs
He was well porportioned
He had a Grecian nose
He had a gentlemanly manner, with eloquent speech
He possessed some fortitude
He had no particular field of study
His favorite Poets: Milton, Whittier & Burns
His favorite Novelist: Dickens
His favorite Historian: Macaulay (Yikes!! I actually read Macaulay when I was in college to try to get a feel for 19th century views of European History)
He was a Republican
He favored tarrifs for collecting revenue
He was a Methodist, and did not use tobacco or spirits
He had a "medium" mind
His personal expenses were about $250 a year
At 17 (that would have been 1862) he learned the capentry/cabinet making trade
He also taught school
He entered the University of Wisconsin in the Fall semester of 1869
He was also a member of a fraternity, but I could not read the writing
In 1862, when Mr. Eden was 17 and learning capentry, there was a widespread and bloody civil war being fought in the USA, and he would have been of prime military age - but there is no mention of any military service. I'm fairly certain that had he served in the Union Army it would have been noted, he would have considered it a high honor (after he was out, of course, probably anything but, while he was in, I speak from some experience) - I'm wondering how he managed to avoid it.
Its not every day you find this much information about someone in a random 19th century photograph. I find it facinating.
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