Nice Federal overcoat image - eBay

[markj]

Greetings,

Some of you will undoubtedly enjoy this image of a youthful "Fed" in his well-worn overcoat:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2214961634&category=13960

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[va-yank]

Re: Nice Federal overcoat image - eBay

Does anyone besides the seller think that this is a photo of a "North Carolina Confederate" ?

[NY Pvt]

Re: Nice Federal overcoat image - eBay

He might be from North Carolina but I will eat my hat if he is a confederate. Experts? In what? World War II?

Neat picture though.

[HOG.EYE.MAN]

Re: Nice Federal overcoat image - eBay

Yeah, it's a neat picture.

"His romantic eyes contrast with his Mississippi rifle and bayonet in the other hand."

Oh boy....

Neat image Mark, thanks for sharing.

[markj]

Re: Nice Federal overcoat image - eBay

Greetings Fred, Dane, et. al.,

Ah, but you need to scroll down all the way and read what's at the bottom of the listing. The seller was subsequently informed by another party that his initial ID was incorrect so he updated his description.

All in all, a very nice image. It will no doubt go for a handsome sum.

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[1stMaine]

Re: Nice Federal overcoat image - eBay

Comrades,
One thing to consider when viewing this image is the gender of the subject. My wife and daughter were interested in this image as well, and both are convinced that the young soldier is a woman.
Scroll down to the larger images and note the absence of an adam's apple. Also take a good long look at the thin delicate fingers and the long fingernails. Couple that with the wry smile and those eyes and voila!...
It's altogether possible that this is a woman posing in a soldier's uniform, for whatever reason that might be, and it's also possible that this is in fact a woman soldier.
Take the time to go back and examine this image from the perspective of gender and see what you come up with.
respects,

[markj]

Re: Nice Federal overcoat image - eBay

Hi,

Hard to tell one way or another. You have no doubt read wartime and post-war accounts by men remarking on (indisputably male) comrades who "were pretty as a girl." Given that quite a few men and boys of the day were delicately-framed, often attributable to diet and health issues, the confusion engendered (no pun intended) by such photos is not hard to understand.
For example, I was rather surprised to find that the much-maligned William Bligh, of "Bounty" fame, was rather small--I think he was only about 5' 4" and weighed maybe 120 pounds soaking wet. His portraits show a man very different from those portrayed by Charles Laughton, Trevor Howard, or Anthony Hopkins. "Ditto" for Lord Horatio Nelson.

Regards,

Mark

[va-yank]

Re: Nice Federal overcoat image - eBay

Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say he is all that feminine looking. Nice photo of a soldier who seems very proud of himself, and is striking an oddly relaxed pose, compared to the usual stiff caught in the headlights look you often see. Good image of the coat too. Can see stitching in the edges, even what looks like a hook or two on the collar. Wish we could get a closer look at those buttonholes. :)

[1stMaine]

Re: Nice Federal overcoat image - eBay

Comrades,
All I'm saying is go back and reexamine the image with an open mind. Look at the line of the jaw, the hair, the neck sans adam's apple, the thin smooth hands and nails. Yeah, the kid could be a nice gentle boy, but I suspect that too many of us fall into the trap of seeing what we expect to see, not what's really there. The Devil's in the details, after all, and there's always more to any image than what our eyes are telling us we see.
Respects,

[2RIVB]

Re: Nice Federal overcoat image - eBay

Looking at the picture closely, in my not so expert medical opinion, this person is indeed male, and does indeed have an adams apple. It is not very pronounced, but it is there. Maybe the resolution you were veiwing it at isn't that great. Also, the facial features are more masculine. The posture is also very male. Men have a different posture than women, do to the anatomical structure of their bodies, based on what the different sex's bodies are biologically designed for. Just my 2 cents.

[Yellowhammer]

Re: Nice Federal overcoat image - eBay

There is nothing in that image to indicate that is anything more than a youthful Federal infantryman. Another face from a lost generation.

Instead of trying to rationalize modern reenactorisms (In this case, Galtroops) and revise history, perhaps we should just enjoy a wonderful period image with some nice material culture details. For example, check ou the hand-sewing along the facings raising the possibility of an SA manufactured garment.

[markj]

Re: Nice Federal overcoat image - eBay

Greetings,

I love it: "A Young Yank: All-Male or She-Male?" YOU BE THE JUDGE! :p

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[ephraim_zook]

Re: Nice Federal overcoat image - eBay

Definately not trying to justify the practice, but please notice that this is a very rare image of a cap with what appears to be a "baseball cap curved" brim.

Ron Myzie

[RyanBWeddle]

Re: Nice Federal overcoat image - eBay

[QUOTE=ephraim_zook]Definately not trying to justify the practice, but please notice that this is a very rare image of a cap with what appears to be a "baseball cap curved" brim.

- - I don't know on the visor ' baseball curve' - there is a major difference between an original cap's visor curl which can happen for a myriad of reasons (taught stitchwork during construction, weather, etc. )and a modern reenactors overdone intentional bending....

I've seen caps made by Paul Smith and Brad Keune that have a slight curve like that . . . this image isn't out of the ordinary....


As to the 'Gender Bender' discussion - that is a male. End of discussion.

And the best part of the image is the overcoat, really neat image of handworked facing pieces on the overcoat and cape buttonholes, etc.

[1stMaine]

Re: Nice Federal overcoat image - eBay

There is nothing in that image to indicate that is anything more than a youthful Federal infantryman. Another face from a lost generation.

Instead of trying to rationalize modern reenactorisms (In this case, Galtroops) and revise history, perhaps we should just enjoy a wonderful period image with some nice material culture details. For example, check ou the hand-sewing along the facings raising the possibility of an SA manufactured garment.

Comrade John,
I have NEVER attempted to rationalize galtroops, nor would I. It's one area where I have a rock-solid affirmation of PEC. Same with reenactorisms. I try to dispel them whenever possible.
My post was simply to point out my own observations, observations based upon an objective view of the image. I agree wholeheartedlty that the wealth of details on such a clear crisp image is worthy of study in and of itself,and have spent some time examining it's nuances.
I spent a great deal of time analysing images in the military, and that's paid off well for me since leaving there. It's something I enjoy, and feel I'm pretty good at. We used to joke it was akin to picking the fly specks out of the pepper.
Regardless, as I earlier stated, it may very well be a young gentleman from a good family, one of those so many poets wrote about, fair of features and of keen mind and endowed with gentle manners. I'm not quite ready to make that assertion yet, but I won't discount it offhand either.
That's my two-cent's worth on the subject. It's a great image, and one I would be happy to own if I could afford it.
respects,