New York State Militia, 1st Division, 9th Regiment, 3rd Brigade

Boetticher employed lithography, a planographic process in which a grease‑based image is drawn on a stone or metal plate, then inked and transferred to paper. After the initial print, he applied hand‑coloring to accentuate the uniforms and sky, a common practice that added depth and realism to mass‑produced images of the era.

Created shortly after the Mexican‑American War, the print served both as a visual record of New York’s militia organization and as a collectible item for supporters and family members. Its labeling identifies the specific unit, linking the work to official militia documentation of the period.

In the 1850s, state militias were integral to local security and civic ceremony, often parading in public spaces. Boetticher’s depiction aligns with contemporary visual culture that celebrated military readiness amid growing national tensions that would soon culminate in the Civil War.