This is an authentic CDV image of Union General Nathaniel Prentiss Banks (1816-1894). Banks was born in Waltham, Massachusetts and nicknamed "the bobbin boy of Massachusetts" because he went to work at an early age at a cotton mill. Banks was elected to Congress from Massachusetts in 1853. He was elected Speaker of the House in 1856. Massachusetts elected him Governor in 1858 and he served in that post until 1861 when Lincoln appointed him as a Major General of volunteers. He was removed from the Shenandoah Valley after losing to Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign of 1862. Banks was then sent west where the sent the assaults on Port Hudson which caused huge losses to the Union army. Banks then led the Red River Campaign in 1864 until being superseded by General Camby. He left military service in August of 1865 and elected to Congress again. He served six terms in Congress, five as a Republican and one as a Democrat. It is a nice clear CDV of the general in his best dress uniform with his general's rank insignia on his shoulders. The CDV images were made by applying a thin paper photo image of the famous person of the day to a heavier paper card. This made the image more durable and easier to display and also added uniformity to the size. The overall size of a CDV image is approximately 2.5 inches by 4 inches in size. The back of this card has the photographer mark of the New York Firm of Charles Fredericks. It is a fine original CDV that will make a solid addition to any Civil War collection.