Every day was Flag Day: U.S. Army portraits from the First World War

Fred Canwell (Company B, 58th Infantry Regiment) and his friend, Pat O’Brien, enjoy a smoke while posing under a unique arrangement of flags. Both soldiers are wearing leather-sided canvas leggings, usually an indication of working with draft animals. Courtesy of Alexander F. Barnes

One of the favorite rites of passage in the U.S. military of the 20th and early 21st centuries has always been the “just before graduation from bootcamp” photograph in dress uniform with a flag backdrop. The reason for this is pretty simple. It means that you are now close to graduation and will soon be assigned to your first ship/platoon/squadron/organization.

Interestingly, the tradition stretches back at least as far as the First World War. During the great mobilization in 1917 and 1918 to build a 4-million-soldier army, many large training camps were built to create soldiers/sailors/Marines out of civilians. Predictably, wherever these training camps were established, they were followed closely by businesses which would cater to the soldier’s needs.

Among the more popular, and less objectionable, businesses springing up outside the camps were photographic studios. Along with the flags displayed in the photographs, take note of the uniforms the soldiers are wearing as they provide some insights into problems in the Army supply system during the first year of the war.

What follows is continuation of the previous photographic essay on First World War “soldier and flag” portraits.

At this point, you might be wondering, “How much difference could there be when taking a picture of soldier and a flag?”

Let’s take a look.

Based on these two portraits, the concept of not letting the U.S. flag touch the ground was not a key part of flag etiquette in 1917-1918. The corporal on the left has practically wrapped himself in the flag in this Richmond, Va.-made photograph. The soldier on the right appears to be holding the flag which is attached to a plain wooden pole. Both soldiers have distinctly different shades of khaki shirts and trousers. Courtesy of Alexander F. Barnes

Certainly not a boot camp graduation picture, but too good not to use here. In this advertising postcard for “Lear’s American Bar” in Coblenz, Germany, circa 1920, several members of the U.S. Army occupation force enjoy a good beer. In the background, and hand-colored in at some point in the past, is a 48-star American flag wrapped around a copy of the famous “Washington Crossing the Delaware” painting. The irony is striking: the original painting was displayed at the Kunsthalle Bremen art museum in Bremen, Germany and was destroyed in an Allied bombing raid in 1942. Courtesy of Alexander F. Barnes

A soldier identified only by his studio portrait number, #1160, poses with his rifle in front of stylized flag bunting in what is most likely a temporary studio. From the appearance of his boots, he has been in camp a long time, yet still has no collar disks. Courtesy of Alexander F. Barnes

Striking a serious pose, this soldier is photographed in front of a flag overlaying a backdrop scene showing a military camp. His breast pockets appear to have a small New Testament and perhaps his paybook or a small notebook. His boots have a unique added protective toe-cap. Courtesy of Alexander F. Barnes

Two somewhat similar portraits reveal the flag backdrop being displayed differently. The flag on the left appears to be displayed backwards and the stars are slightly tilted, not giving the standard one point up and two points down. Courtesy of Alexander F. Barnes

This soldier has chosen to have his flag portrait made with his two brothers. This portrait is somewhat unusual because the soldier has a woolen uniform. Even more unique, he also has both collar disks and one is clearly a U.S. disk. Courtesy of Alexander F. Barnes

Certainly, a unique image; these three unhappy-looking soldiers pose in their heavy overcoats in a temporary studio. The canvas tie-down points for the backdrop are visible at the bottom. Proven to be impractical in the frontlines in France, these coats were dramatically shortened and the excess wool material used to make “Overseas” hats, replacing the equally impractical “Campaign” hat. Courtesy of Alexander F. Barnes

This is a truly different arrangement of the American flag; it combines large and small stars, and based on the width of the stripes, there must be a very large flag under there somewhere. The soldier seems to be dressed in a fairly new wool uniform and while his campaign hat has a branch-colored cord, he still doesn’t have collar disks yet. Courtesy of Alexander F. Barnes

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1917-1918 Army mobilization bootcamp graduation portraits First World War soldier photographs historical military photography military graduation photos military photographic traditions soldier and flag portraits training camp photography World War One uniforms WWI military portraits

Alexander F. BarnesAuthor

Alexander F. Barnes was born in Niagara Falls, New York, and grew up in an Air Force family. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1974 and then joined the Army National Guard in 1977, retiring as a Virginia Army National Guard chief warrant officer in 2004. He retired as a US Army Civilian at Fort Lee in July 2015. Barnes has a master’s degree in Anthropology and has authored 7 military history books His most recent World War One books have told the story of immigrants in the US Army and the close linkage of the Doughboys and baseball. He currently serves as the Command Historian for the Virginia National Guard.

Every day was Flag Day: U.S. Army portraits from the First World War

Military graduation portraits date to WWI when photo studios near training camps captured soldiers in uniform with flag backdrops, a tradition continuing today.

Alexander F. Barnes