Soldier wearing earrings - eBay

[markj]

Greetings,

This is a fascinating (and apparently authentic) image. Unfortunately, it may provide "proof" for some modern reenactors to wear earrings on the field....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2234763643&category=13960

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[Emmanuel Dabney]

Re: Soldier wearing earrings - eBay

Mark,
This is probably about the 7th image I've seen of a man from our era with ear piercings. So it's definitely "real", though this is the first soldier I've seen. Most of the others have been of men in civilian clothing.

[markj]

Re: Soldier wearing earrings - eBay

Hi Emanuel,

Yep, I've seen a couple "earringed" troops elsewhere as well. One of them had decidedly American Indian features. Given the number of men who served on merchant ships, whalers, etc. prior to 1861, I suspect we'll eventually come more of these images on eBay as well as other auction sites.

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[va-yank]

Re: Soldier wearing earrings - eBay

Does anyone know if there is any specific ethnic or cultural context for this during that time period? Somewhere it was mentioned that Germans and maybe even Eastern European men adopted the habit of ear rings. It may have been noted in the old threads on this forum.

My initial reaction would be that his ear rings would be more likely among some slightly more exotic ethnic group, and not your plain old Dutchies. Romany folks or the like maybe.

It appears that he goes both ways too.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Soldier wearing earrings - eBay

It seems to me that this would be done by the more nautical set. I hope nobody finds any eyebrow or tounge piercings! :baring_te

[va-yank]

Re: Soldier wearing earrings - eBay

Sure, a nautical origin of the ear-ring is the most likely explanation. But, I was just wondering if anyone had any more info related to ethnic origin.

Actually, I suppose that my hope is that no one has any such ethnic documentation. After all, we don't want to encourage the wearing of them.

[K Bartsch]

Re: Soldier wearing earrings - eBay

We also know that "Old Army" dragoons often wore an earring. If memory serves there is a CMH plate out there depicting a dragoon from the Mex-War period wearing a gold hoop earring or it may have been a painting I remember from the Frontier Army Museum at Leavenworth of a dragoon from the 2nd US Dragoon Regiment c.1847. They also generally wore their hair "rakishly" long, Perhaps this chap is an old dragoon. Might explain the veterans stripes too.

Just my dos centavos,

[Jasper]

Re: Soldier wearing earrings - eBay

Ok boy's
Here it goes I don't know where I learned this and I can try to find it if you want. You all are right on with the nautical theam. Sailors of old would ware an earring not for style but for a pratical reason. If the sailor were to die away from family it was understood that said ring would be used to pay for his funneral.
Now a with that said this man could of been a sailor who was discharged and decided to join the army for the bonus which did happen to some degree.


Jasper

p.s. Marines held the same pratice when out at sea but instead of the earring
they would ware a band on there finger


Semper FI

[GACornbread]

Re: Soldier wearing earrings - eBay

Sure, a nautical origin of the ear-ring is the most likely explanation. But, I was just wondering if anyone had any more info related to ethnic origin.

Actually, I suppose that my hope is that no one has any such ethnic documentation. After all, we don't want to encourage the wearing of them.

Earlier in the nineteenth century (1800-1815), during the European Napoleonic Wars- Napoleon's "Guard" Troops wore a single gold earing in the left ear as a sign of their "veteran" and special "Old Guard" unit status. This practice may have survived into Napoleon III's reign. Napoleon and his troops were French and often drawn from other numerous nationalities: Italian, Swiss, German, etc.. This would give the practice a French Army origin.

The French troops were heavily involved in the Crimean Wars of the 1850's, Napoleon III's era. The French concept of " Zouave" infantry tatics were developed fighting in their North Africian colonies. The French had a major influence on CW Infantry Tactics. French veterans would probably have been found in both armies.

I would suspect that this person may be an immigrant. I would believe an earing would be a rare sight on a soldier in the CW era.
That is all I can offer without going back to my library for research.

Houston White
aka: GA Cornbread

10th Texas &
42 GA /125 Ohio

[GeraldTodd]

earrings

Being a Massachusetts fellow I'd lean toward the maritime theory, thought the Cape Horn thing's pretty much myth. A sailor wore earings for two reasons.

One, in a pinch he had some cash on him. Boat goes down with all your gear aboard, earing's still on your person - including to cover burying you if it came to that.

Two, they liked to wear jewelry. An earing is the safest way to wear jewelry aboard ship. It gets caught you loose a chunk of ear. A ring gets caught and you loose a valuable tool - your finger! A looong time ago I had to cut a ring off someone that got squished on their finger and to this day I wear no jewelry at all, not even a wedding band or a watch. Vanity ain't worth appendages.

Then again, he might be a gypsy.

[Milliron]

Re: Soldier wearing earrings - eBay

I hate to be the bubble burster, but what are the chances that these are not earrings, but rather the man's curly hair behind his ear? I looked at this photograph closely and I do not think it's clear that these are earrings. He obviously has curly or wavy hair.

Take another look . . .

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Soldier wearing earrings - eBay

Bob, that was my first thought, too... my son's hair will curl up like that, if we let it get that long.

On the other hand, the markings in question are very regular...

And on the other hand (I'm a mom, I get more than two), the edges are not terribly distinct--women's earrings often photograph very distinctly, so I don't know why a man's earring would not.

[Yellowhammer]

Re: Soldier wearing earrings - eBay

First, I think Bob's question bears some examination. I've seen several photos of soldiers wearing "earrings" that turned out to be hair. (Though I'm not sure in this case.)

Second, I'd like to point out the differences between studio and field photography. IMHO, whether it was for ethnic, social, or professional reasons, a subject would be more likely to wear earrings in a studio setting than he would in the field/camp/garrison.

[ScottCross]

Re: Soldier wearing earrings - eBay

Let's go ahead and assume that this soldier is wearing earrings in both ears. As stated earlier, mid-ninteenth century images DO exist with men wearing them, usually sailors (I used to own a 1/4 plate ambrotype of a fellow sporting THREE in EACH ear!) The question we have to ask, "How Common was it for a Civil War soldier to do this?" I had this situation come up about 15 years ago while doing an authenticity inspection. I pointed out the anachromism and was told, "I'm a sailor who went around Cape Horn!" I replied, "Then what are you doing in a Kentucky regiment?" The point is this, men wearing earrings were fairly common in the US if they were sailors, or had been sailors, BUT extremely rare when it came to the rank and file soldier. The object of Living History is to portray the "Common" the "Average", not the exceptional, the rare, the unique, the bizarre, etc., etc, ad nauseum. Sure, someone will pick up on this and use it as a justification. It is up to us to use logic when policing ourselves and our own groups. That's all we can do.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Soldier wearing earrings - eBay

I think they are earrings, but I can say one thing is for certain. They are not stainless steel.