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USMC Photographs


Shanghai Jack
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Shanghai Jack

Even though I'm not the new owner of these images, I thought other forum members would like to see them:

 

"Scarce dated CDV of a very natty Civil War US Marine Corps officer in full regulation 1859 pattern USMC officer’s garb with his description of his uniform! He wears the officer’s undress fatigue jacket with its sixteen button front, gold laced collar, pointed cuff edged with gold lace, regulation shoulder knots, and correct fatigue cap with a hunting horn encircling an “M.” The regulation sash, white sword belt, and 1850 foot officer sword, adopted in 1859 for USMC officers, complete the outfit. He seems to have chosen a metal scabbard for the sword. The lower portion of the belt plate is visible and seems to be the correct 1851 eagle sword belt plate. His white trousers are probably made of linen, the material and color being authorized in 1859 for wear in warm weather. Probably newly commissioned and anxious to show the folks back home what he looked like in uniform, he has thoughtfully annotated the back of the card in ink: “Fatigue dress with Summer pants-“ and dated it, “Taken Aug 23d 1862.” The card also bears an Addis/McClee’s Washington photographer backmark and, naturally, no tax stamp, which agrees with the date."

post-46900-1307935207.jpg

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Shanghai Jack

“And a few Marines…” Well, one Marine shown twice: once in his full dress 1859 uniform with his shako on the table beside him and a second image of the same leatherneck in his undress coat with his USMC forage cap next to him. An incredibly rare pair of 6th plate tintypes. . . . . Here we have two portraits of the same Marine wearing the dress and fatigue uniforms. . . . . On the left our man wears the regulation double-breasted enlisted Marine frock with the characteristic fringed brass shoulder scales and regulation USMC white belt with sheet brass plate. At his elbow on the table sits his USMC shako with its elaborate USMC front plate. On the right he has taken the same pose, but donned his 1859 pattern undress coat with regulation white belt with plain sheet brass buckle, and his forage cap next to him showing the regulation hunting horn with an “M” in the loop. There is some very light gilding applied by the photographer to the highlights."

post-46900-1307935719.jpg

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