Major Manton Mitchell’s West Point Photo Album, Class of 1909 (Same class as George S. Patton)

Oblong octavo (10¾" x 7"). Flexible black leather covers. Contains over 100 gelatin silver prints and three cyanotypes, mounted on the rectos and versos of thick black paper leaves, together with a Cabinet Card portrait and eight additional photos laid in. Most prints measure between 2¼" x 3" and 3" x 5". Several prints have small ink captions at the bottom edge or corner of the print, two Real Photo postcards are inscribed to "Mr. Mitchell" and "M.C.M" from a fellow cadet (both dated 1905). The leather spine back is perished, both covers are chipped at the edges, the first blank leaf is detached, else about near fine with the photographs in very good or better condition. An attractive, neatly compiled album that belonged to Manton Mitchell, who was a graduate of the Military Academy at West Point "in the same class as his friend, Gen. George Patton," and served in Europe in World War I. Mitchell received the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in action while serving as a battalion commander with the 39th Infantry Regiment in France, 5 August 1918. In addition to the inscribed Post Cards, the album includes two identified photos of Mitchell in camp at the Queensboro Furnace on the grounds of West Point. The album opens with a photo of the class of 1909 and features many unidentified images of Mitchell drilling and socializing with other cadets and with and family and friends, including women, on the grounds of West Point, and on excursions in the surrounding Hudson Highlands and on the Hudson River. A compelling, well-preserved collection of photos, including an early Cabinet Card portrait of Mitchell in uniform, documenting his training at America’s premiere military academy.…