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WW2 Marine Studio Photo (wearing belt over shoulder)


lakenormanusa
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lakenormanusa

I just received this 8x10 photo and wondered if there was a symbolic purpose for him wearing his belt over his shoulder.

 

post-125711-0-82988900-1518473629_thumb.jpg

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Looks pre-WW2 to early WW2. That may not be a "belt" but a strap for a courier or dispatch bag. I have seen earlier era photos (1910's and 1920's) of Marines with large leather dispatch bags. But why not show the whole bag with a waist up shot or standing pose if wearing one? An oddity for sure, he even has the strap under his epaulette. It isn't just something thrown over his shoulder. Sometimes these studio shots were taken in multiple poses and distances and cropped, that may be the case here.

 

Mike

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lakenormanusa

Looks pre-WW2 to early WW2. That may not be a "belt" but a strap for a courier or dispatch bag. I have seen earlier era photos (1910's and 1920's) of Marines with large leather dispatch bags. But why not show the whole bag with a waist up shot or standing pose if wearing one? An oddity for sure, he even has the strap under his epaulette. It isn't just something thrown over his shoulder. Sometimes these studio shots were taken in multiple poses and distances and cropped, that may be the case here.

 

Mike

 

Thanks Mike,

 

I think you're right about him having the strap secured underneath his epaulette. It reflects that this was purposely done. Maybe he had a holster or a KABAR attached to the belt, and like you said, it may have been cropped out.

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A lot of guys store their blouses with the belts through the epaulettes like that, to keep them together, including myself. Almost seems as if this guy just threw on his blouse real quick for the shot. Since that would be dumb, I'm leaning more towards a dispatch bag or some such

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American Heritage

maybe a mistake in leaving it on before photo was taken. It does not cross the chest like a Sam Browne belt and I've never seen anything like this in photos or in real life. Satchel makes some sense but why do that in a photo, even if cropped? Very odd

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maybe a mistake in leaving it on before photo was taken. It does not cross the chest like a Sam Browne belt and I've never seen anything like this in photos or in real life. Satchel makes some sense but why do that in a photo, even if cropped? Very odd

I've seen satchels and dispatch cases in portraits before

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