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Show your WWI Studio Photographs


Jeffrey Magut
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[quote name="gauthieb3sxz" post="2340172" timestamp="1496514546

 

 

Great shot! Not sure if I've seen that one before. Here's a related shot from my collection. Chuck, you were instrumental in the ID of this guy, remember? Paraphrasing my my website:

 

 

After successfully winning the photo I began the laborious process of identifying the photo. Heres the info I was basing my research on:

1. The photo depicted a US pilot who had served at least 6 months overseas at the time the photo was taken.

2. The pilot was named Harry and had a brother named Robert.

3. The pilot had a distinctive signature and handwriting style with large crossed Hs and a penchant for flourishes.

4. The pilot was in Italy at some point during the war.

 

I started by tracking down a copy of the roster of the pilots who trained with the Fogianni during the war. A good friend, Chuck, was extremely gracious enough to take photos of all the pages and send them to me. I finally had the whole roster to reference. With this in hand, I identified all the Harolds and Harrys in the roster. This helped narrow it down to less than 30 candidates! From there I looked at the 1900 and 1910 census for each of the men in hopes of finding a brother named Robert. A small handful of candidates trickled through.

 

My first cross reference for the Harrys with brothers named Robert brought me to Harry S. Manchester from Canfield, Ohio. The signature on his WWI draft card almost knocked me over! A perfect match. Note the intense cross on the H and the overly dramatic crosses on his Ts. With further research I was able to find a TON of information on Harry. He was indeed a pilot in Italy during the war and also served in France as a test pilot, testing new US planes as they were unloaded in France. His brother was Robert Manchester Jr. I was able to find Roberts son (Robert Manchester III) and grandson (Robert Manchester IV) online, both prominent lawyers in the midwest.

 

 

One go the best examples of serious research I have seen on the forum in a long time!

 

Jag

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I was first attracted to this photo at the Raleigh Militaria show because the guy looked so darned old and I saw a hint of an overseas stripe on his left arm at the bottom so I included it in a batch of photos I purchased---when I got it home, I put the magnifying lens to it and as you can see, his regiment was clearly visible---

 

Company K, 31st Infantry Regiment---

 

one of the AEF units that was deployed to Siberia---

 

no wonder the guy looks so old, Russia will do that to you---plus his ribbons would indicate service in previous campaigns---anybody want to take a shot at what they are?

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I would bet it's the Philippines and Spanish Campaign Ribbons....20 years under his belt and going to Russia...No rank on the sleeve under a loupe?

 

What a fantastic image Al!

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An old friend of the family and the man that convinced me to enlist in Armor, then Lt. Neil Creighton Johnson. He retired as a Brigadier General in the 1950s.

 

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  • 1 month later...

Real photo postcard signed, "Yours S. Mr. Martin, Co C. 3rd Wash. State Guard" He is armed with a Springfield .45-70 carbine.

The exclusively state-controlled Washington State Guard (WSG) was reborn during WWI. The Third Infantry Regiment consisting of 16 companies, a medical detachment, and a machine gun company all formed in the principal cities throughout Washington. The WSG, was disbanded after WWI ended.

 

post-949-0-12430200-1500917255.jpg post-949-0-38379200-1500917271.jpg

 

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gauthieb3sxz

A recent portrait I picked up on eBay. I was the only bidder! 11th Aero Squadron pilot. I'm working on an ID...

 

pilot029.jpg?w=676

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  • 2 weeks later...
gauthieb3sxz

A recent portrait I picked up on eBay. I was the only bidder! 11th Aero Squadron pilot. I'm working on an ID...

 

pilot029.jpg?w=676

 

Well, wouldn't you know it! I trade this thing away to Chuck and he finds a complete ID on the guy. Fighter ace Field Eugene Kindley. Good work Chuck!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_Eugene_Kindley

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Yeah...that's one of those eureka moments that we all know and cherish in the hobby. I was very fortunate to stumble upon a similar studio image of Kindley, but wearing a visor cap. Thank you for that opportunity, Brennan!

 

-Chuck

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  • 4 months later...

Unnamed photo I picked up off ebay for $1 before Christmas. Got it, looked behind the image (I thought you were only supposed to do that with cased images?!) And found the Christmas note. Based on where the seller bought this, I was able to identify him as Cpl Walter Eagle, Co G 168th Infantry (3rd Iowa).

 

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Fairly clear image, my cellphone camera couldn't capture as well as a scan.

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gauthieb3sxz

My first shot of 2018. One of my favorite gas mask shots in the collection. Taken in France, must be pretty early on in the war. He refers to the mask as a "gas helmet".

 

gasmask010.jpg?w=676

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  • 1 month later...

My first shot of 2018. One of my favorite gas mask shots in the collection. Taken in France, must be pretty early on in the war. He refers to the mask as a "gas helmet".

 

gasmask010.jpg?w=676

 

 

Great photo; looks like a British gas mask and an enlisted service coat with cuff braid added and officer's pin-on rank and collar insignia.

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This is not a WWI period portrait....but Major General Paul B. Malone definitely had some WWI experience!

 

Malone (1872-1960, born in Middletown, New York) served in the Spanish-American War and commanded troops in the key battles in France in World War I (Chateau Thierry, St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne), where he was brevetted to Brigadier General.

 

He really had beautiful handwriting too!!

 

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Check out these portrait shots from my collection being used by Metallica in their current European Tour! They're a mix of US and other nationalities.

 

wwibg.jpg?w=676

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Check out these portrait shots from my collection being used by Metallica in their current European Tour! They're a mix of US and other nationalities.

 

wwibg.jpg?w=676

Are they used for the duration of the concert or just for the performance of "One?"

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It looks like this guy came straight out of the field and right into the studio. Looks like he has mud on his helmet, boots and gas mask bag!

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  • 1 month later...
BigJohn#3RD

Great pciture, any chan ce of an identification of the LT?

I got this 2nd Division, 9th Infantry Regiment, Headquarters Lieutenant Photo today.

e4ff4bf9604e1b9725d29f5000b3b62a.jpg

 

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