Figure 1.--A reader asks about this boy. We do not believe that he is wearing a BSA Scout uniform. The photograph was taken in Colorado during the 1920s.

Most images, even unidentified images, can easily be identified as Boy Scouts. We have found some images that we are not unsure about or readers have asked us to assess.

1920s Boy

A reader writes, "This photo was sent to me by a cousin. She doesn't know when or where it was taken but I would hazard a guess it was taken about 1920 in Southeastern Colorado. I assumed the young man is wearing a uniform and because of the neckerchief I suspect it was a Boy Scout uniform. I was unable to find any pictures at your web site that looked exactly like the one in the picture. The cap appears to be a beret. The pants look like jodhpurs worn with leggings, similar to what the boys were wearing in your 1919 picture. I will appreciate it if you let me know if it is, in fact, a BSA uniform." [Pottorff] We do not believe that it is a BSA uniform. I don't think the boy is wearing a beret, but rather a flat cap. And at this time the American Scouts, didn't wear berets. The boy does seem to be wearing jodpurs, but the color does not look right. We don't think thst it is any kind of a uniform. Notice that there are also no badges or emblems which suggest that it is not the uniform of any organized group. The only thing that points to a uniform is that he seems to be wearing a small neckerchief.

Sources

Pottorff, Bruce. E-mail message, January 21, 2005.