Saturday, February 26, 2011

Military Uniform Photo Postcard



This is a real photo postcard I bought last week. This is not what I usually collect, but I thought it was a nice photo (and it was cheap). It shows a man in a military uniform which I think is WWI era. The stripes on the sleeve appear to indicate a corporal rank. There is no insignia on the cap.

Here is an enlarged detail of the cap and collar.


This is the first time I am posting for Sepia Saturday. If anyone can add more information about this uniform, please leave the information in a comment.

This is a page I found that has some information about WWI uniforms:
WWI Uniforms, Insignia, (Distinguishing Marks), Rank, etc.

Vistit Sepia Saturday for More Vintage Photos



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15 comments:

  1. Bob ScotneyFebruary 26, 2011 at 1:46:00 PM CST

    Interesting to see where the cap badge went. I have no way of checking on US uniforms. Let's see if anyone else has ideas.

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  2. JinksyFebruary 26, 2011 at 2:09:00 PM CST

    As uniforms go, it doesn't look as though it needed a lot of 'spit and polish' the way some do! LOL

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  3. HowardFebruary 26, 2011 at 2:23:00 PM CST

    Great picture. He doesn't seem very comfortable being photographed though.

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  4. dakotabooFebruary 26, 2011 at 4:49:00 PM CST

    Looks like the cap should have some sort of badge - maybe it was removed for the photograph?

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  5. Postcard RoundupFebruary 26, 2011 at 4:58:00 PM CST

    I don't know a thing about military uniforms, but I wonder if those leggings might offer a clue.

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  6. 21 WitsFebruary 26, 2011 at 5:02:00 PM CST

    do you think the hold on the cap was to hold something, maybe? It seems to be quite a true sepia postcard as good as they get....I am sure by mid week someone will have some answers...or some info to add... it will be interesting to see if anyone does...I'll check back....you just never know with photos maybe this was a costume for something, or he's wearing some relatives old uniform! Great find!

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  7. 21 WitsFebruary 26, 2011 at 5:08:00 PM CST

    copy this link and check it out....that shows US uniforms and the feet wear seem to match...the hat may need to be searched somewhere else...

    http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.olive-drab.com/images/uniform_1941_array.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.olive-drab.com/od_soldiers_clothing_combat_ww2.php&usg=__0bK1q_m7z7xUXhi4pRb6TrJ1-2M=&h=244&w=576&sz=40&hl=en&start=0&sig2=JcFZSSWzZeGtsJrzgohSgg&zoom=1&tbnid=z7iDozXm5-ifFM:&tbnh=84&tbnw=199&ei=2oZpTfr5G8mjtgf-uszmAg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dus%2Bmilitary%2Buniforms%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1330%26bih%3D733%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C187&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=603&vpy=234&dur=1230&hovh=146&hovw=345&tx=200&ty=82&oei=nYZpTbGWHYyjtgeP9oToAw&page=1&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0&biw=1330&bih=733

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  8. PostcardyFebruary 26, 2011 at 8:35:00 PM CST

    The above link is for WWII. This uniform is definitely earlier than that. The type of collar was changed before World WarII.

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  9. KristinFebruary 27, 2011 at 5:28:00 PM CST

    looks very uncomforatble but i have no info.

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  10. Christine H.February 27, 2011 at 10:38:00 PM CST

    I think he must have had scratchy long underwear. That seems like a very basic uniform. I would expect to see something on the cap too.

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  11. Tattered and LostFebruary 27, 2011 at 11:49:00 PM CST

    There's always something so poignant about these military shots. Easy to brush aside because on the surface they're rather boring, but then when you stop to think about the person you can't help but wonder if they survived their service. A photo in uniform to proudly send home once they'd gone through training, but beyond that who knows what became of him.

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  12. Alan BurnettFebruary 28, 2011 at 5:01:00 AM CST

    I don't think I can help identify the uniform : but I can say welcome to Sepia Saturday and, on behalf of all the other regular contributors, we hope to see many more posts in weeks to come.

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  13. Mike BrubakerMarch 2, 2011 at 5:33:00 PM CST

    Military uniforms are both easy and hard, depending on the detail of the collars, shoulders, cuffs, etc. This is WWI vintage because of the puttees - gaiters. I find that eBay provides a pretty good resource and I found this under Collectibles/Militaris/WWI without any effort. Nearly the same jacket with insignia.

    http://cgi.ebay.com/U-S-ARMY-WW1-WWI-SUMMER-UNIFORM-JACKET-ORIGINAL-803-/360336881847?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e5c078b7

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  14. NancyMarch 4, 2011 at 5:28:00 PM CST

    I don't know anything about uniforms so this is probably a question that shows my ignorance: how did you guess it was a U.S. uniform? Looking at the man I would have guessed him to be European, and I think he definitely looks uncomfortable. But, he does look like someone I know (strangely enough). It seems like you're on the track to finding out more about the uniform. Welcome to Sepia Saturday. (I'm very, very late reading this week.)

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  15. PostcardyMarch 5, 2011 at 10:21:00 AM CST

    Note: A U.S. emblem can be seen on the collar in the enlarged detail.

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