Help with photo ID

[Mike Serpa]

A man sent me his photos hoping I might be able to provide some information. He knows nothing about them. I could find nothing except possibly a funeral of a Civil War vet.

Place? Time? ...? Thanks.

 

[Skilledhunter]

Very interesting photos. He must of been of high rank to have a band and everything. Definitely southern with the palm trees.

 

[UCVRelics]

I would guess from the flag and uniforms its GAR and the palms would say somewhere in the South.

 

[19thGeorgia]

I see power lines in the backgroud. So 1900? 1910?

...on second look maybe not.

 

[mofederal]

California has palm trees, and it looks like some Spanish influenced architecture. The sergeant has chevrons as worn today, so in the 1900's somewhere. The GAR men, at least some of them appear to be wearing campaign hats from the Spanish American War. The sergeant looks like he is wearing an 1890's enlisted dress cap. The 4 button sack coats are probably from batches made for ACW veterans who refused to wear the later Army 5 button sack coats.

 

[JOHN42768]

The church steeple seems to be Spanish influence, so maybe Florida or California

 

[LoyaltyOfDogs]

I see power lines in the backgroud. So 1900? 1910?

...on second look maybe not.

I think you're right about the power lines, @19thGeorgia. Or would those two poles in the background be for telegraph or telephone wires and not electric lines?

 

[lupaglupa]

Where with palm trees would have that many GAR members? I'd lean towards California just for that reason. There must be a list of GAR posts in SoCal from the early 1900s.

 

[Fairfield]

Are the two photographs of the same event?

 

[Mike Serpa]

Are the two photographs of the same event?

Two different events.

 

[Fairfield]

Two different events.

Makes sense. The funeral picture seems to be more recent--that is, the veterans look aged. Judging by the dress of the woman in the background of the 2nd photo, that picture may date to the late 1800's/turn of century.

The funeral picture--and it certainly looks like a funeral--is troubling because the distance between the front leg of the "bier" and the back leg is mighty short. I don't think that it is a coffin but maybe some kind of floral tribute intended for a funeral.

 

[JeffFromSyracuse]

Bottom photo has a sousaphone, which wasn't invented until 1893. But the bell is pointing up - the bell over the head of the marcher wasn't developed until a decade or so later. At least according to to Wikipedia.

 

[Drew]

Spanish-influenced architecture duly noted and another vote for Southern California.

I don't imagine there would have been sufficient GAR-uniformed men for a Carpetbagger's funeral procession of this size in Florida or Texas at that time.

 

[chubachus]

The men in the first photo look to be around 60-80 years in age, so from that I would guess it was taken c. 1900-1920.

 

[19thGeorgia]

I notice the two large buildings on either side of the church are identical. Why would that be? Are they part of the church?

If so that's a mighty big church.

 

[19thGeorgia]

Actually the church building is of the same construction except for the steeple/cupola.

 

[Mike Serpa]

Thank all of you for your observations. I gave him a link when I first posted the photos.