Civil War Soldier’s Bone Carving “Soldier Art” (SOLD)

This is another nice piece out of the large 50+ year Civil War collection I am working on, it is a carved piece of bone, measuring 6 ¾” x 1 ¼”. Nicely carved into the bone is an hour glass shaped pot with flowers. These types of carvings are referred to as “Soldier Art”.  

Carvings such as this were very popular with soldiers during the war. In my book “The Civil War Soldier – His Personal Items”, I go into more detail on this favorite pastime (see pictures). Many of these carvings were made by POWs, and even sold to the guards.

When soldiers sent items such as this home to their wives, girlfriends, or mothers, they would typically stay away from battle related scenes, and go with more subtle subjects such as outdoor scenery, flowers, animals, etc. It would make a great addition to any Civil War collection.