2 1/8 x 3 1/2 in albumen CDV on cardstock mount (somewhat faded, toned, soft focus). Photographer's imprint on verso alongside two red 1-cent revenue stamps. 

Before the war, Allen was a plantation owner and politician in Louisiana. At the outbreak of war, he enlisted as a private with the 4th Louisiana Infantry and was swiftly promoted to lieutenant colonel by 15 August 1861, commanding the regiment by 1 March 1862. He saw action and wounded at Shiloh and Baton Rouge. While recuperating, he worked as a military judge and was promoted to brigadier general on 19 August 1863. Late in the war, he was elected as Governor of Louisiana and took office in January 1864 with his tenure ending with the collapse of the Confederacy.