Posted 12 years ago
Alicia.ric…
(1 item)
I found this photo among my great-grandmother's things. I can't read the writing down the side. I would love to know more information about the age of the photo and the uniform the soldier is wearing. Is there anyone who may be able to help shed some light on this photograph??! Thanks!
Focus makes it hard to discern details.
You have a tintype in a carte de visite (CDV) mount that dates from about 1880s- 1890s.
The subject is an Army Sergeant (sleeve chevrons) and has his branch insignia on his hat-- crossed something(??). Probably infantry or cavalry. His regiment number also appears to be on the insignia, but again the details are hard to see.
Scott
Thanks, Scott!! I will take more pictures this evening! I am so excited about your help!
Scott, I tried my best to get a better focus on the photo. This is the best focus I was able to achieve, I think the photo itself is pretty grainy. I believe the insignia is crossed guns (perhaps a type of long gun). Do you have any suggestions on a way to capture the insignia so we can find out more information? I am so excited I found this website, super inciteful and fun! Do you think the name along the side reads "Jim Lindville" that's what I see, but I'm not sure! :)
Crossed guns, as in crossed muskets, would be infantry.
The cap appears to be an 1895 forage cap - but it's so fuzzy I'm not sure. The 1895 cap was round, like a coffee can or an old time train conductor's cap. Most earlier army caps had the crown slope forward like you see in in civil war movies, and in 1902 the army came out with a cap where the top of the cap was wider than the bottom (Scott posted one of the 1902 caps some time back). Of course not everyone was issued the cap overnight, but if I am seeing the cap correctly, I would say the photo is after 1895, and probably not after 1902.
Also, on the sergeant’s tunic seems to be a marksman’s badge of the type issued between 1885 and 1921, but I’m just going by the general shape. Again, the photo is to blurry to say anything definite.
Chris