Opinions please. Like i have to ask right?

General Butler

First Sergeant
Joined
Nov 16, 2017
Sure looks like a woman to me. Blow up the tintype and sure your thoughts. Check out the cover also.

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This person is awfully small, as in short- compare height to chair? I could see where you'd think it's an image of a female, have a feeling this is a young boy.

At the risk of asking too many times ( and sorry! ) James N. can you tell us anything about the uniform, please? I always feel like the annoying 1st grader being a pest when this stuff comes up.
 
Cover the face below the eyes, so you are just seeing the lower part from the nostrils down. To me, that really does look like a woman.

Also, as well as the shortness, judged in comparison to the chair (as somebody mentioned upthread) the body seems extremely slight for a man, even a very young man. Look how slender those shoulders are.

I'll go for this being a woman.

What are those cords hanging from the collar ?
 
I'd say it's a young boy, and to me he does not even look very feminine, apart from his full lips. The hands do not look like a girl's hands, pretty broad wrists, if you ask me.
I'd also guess he was a drummer boy.

We had a similar discussion some time ago and member @Allie posted a fascinating theory there:
Compare the size of this fellow's hands to that of the picture in question. If I could see her wrists I would feel sure. Female impersonators usually cover the wrists for just that reason.

People tend to notice things like jaw shape, but the real tell of a female face is the forehead. Testosterone makes foreheads square and prominent, while women's are more rounded. Hers appears feminine to me, while this guy's face, equally delicate, has a completely different, male set of the eyes and forehead.
 
Cover the face below the eyes, so you are just seeing the lower part from the nostrils down. To me, that really does look like a woman.

Also, as well as the shortness, judged in comparison to the chair (as somebody mentioned upthread) the body seems extremely slight for a man, even a very young man. Look how slender those shoulders are.

I'll go for this being a woman.

What are those cords hanging from the collar ?
Dont know what the cords are but I think they tie the Cape to his/her shoulders. We will never know buy personally I think she is a female union supporter sporting soldier style clothes in support of her man
 
Sure looks like a woman to me. Blow up the tintype and sure your thoughts. Check out the cover also.

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Wow, thats a tough one. Male or Female, very young indeed. In the book, “I will pass for your comrade” you see pictures of women soldiers. Most look decidedly male..in fact one makes a handsome man. Woman? Not so much. However, because we were taking very young men, who would not grow facial hair for some time, it was possible for a woman to join the ranks, disguised as a man. Because who would think a woman would do that???
 
Sure looks like a woman to me. Blow up the tintype and sure your thoughts. Check out the cover also.

View attachment 353652

View attachment 353653
I suspect a young boy, it was common for well to do families, with a father in the service to dress up their young ones in patriotic garb. The Horse Soldier currently has a small kepi of a child and Southern made, it was also very common to find children's Zouave uniforms, in addition to small made to order swords. The Gettysburg Antiques Mall currently has a pint size Enfield musket complete with miniature bayonet for sale.
 
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