Figure 1.--We immediately assumed this was a German image when we first saw it. Yet the back of the cabinent card shows that it was taken in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. it is unkike any uniforms we have notice before.The caps are ot at all like he ones that we usually see. The caps and back packs look very European. We are not sure this is a school uniform, but the caps and backpacks seem rather elaborate for play. The boys seem too young for a military school. The CDV portrait was probably taken about 1870.

The basic Civil War style uniform was adopted at military schools throughout the United States. The portraits we have seen show blue uniforms. There may have been some grey uniforms, but perhaps not immediately after the War. Of course West Point had grey uniforms. But most military schools had uniforms similar to actual U.S. Army uniforms as they were blue. The Civil War styled uniforms continued for some time at American military schools. After the War some schools adopted kneepants uniforms. We are not sure when this occurred, but believe it was well after the War, perhaps in the 1880s. This varied widely from school to school. We still see Civil War style uniforms being worn into the 1880s. We see some schools updating their uniforms in the 1890s. Basically they were following changes in U.S. Army uniforms. We do notice some more varied uniforms, but we are not entirely sure they were school uniforms. They seem rather elaborate, however, for play uniforms.

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Created: 2:55 PM 9/12/04
Last updated: 1:09 AM 10/24/2007