Uniform i.d. help needed, please!

[Hallibag]

Awhile back, this image was picked up at an estate sale in Florida, with a bunch of other tintypes. I've been unable to identify the uniform these young men are wearing. It looks vaguely Confederate, but I'm not certain they're even soldiers. Does anyone recognize who they might be?

Also, they're both wearing, for lack of a better word, a corsage. I've seen at least one image of what's undoubtedly a Confederate soldier wearing a similar bunch of flowers. Did this have some special meaning?

Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to provide!

 

[captaindrew]

Welcome to the forum, hard to say for sure but to me they have the look of a military school uniform.

 

[johan_steele]

Post ACW military school uniform IMO.

 

[major bill]

Post ACW military school uniform IMO.

I think we are on the right track with this answer. Are we looking at mid 1880s to mid 1890s?

 

[Hallibag]

Were tintypes still common that late?

 

[Legion Para]

Welcome to the forum Hallibag.

Most definitely a post Civil War image. Unless a forum member knows of an identified image showing the exact same back drop and uniform, it is to generic for us to positively identify.

 

[major bill]

Were tintypes still common that late?

Although tin types were very popular in the 1860s and 1870s, tin types were made until the early 20th Century.

 

[johan_steele]

I think we are on the right track with this answer. Are we looking at mid 1880s to mid 1890s?

I'm tempted to say early 1880s but I can't say why.

 

[UCVRelics]

Welcome From THE Heart Of Dixie. I going the same way 1880's the hat style leans me that way. The items each have pinned to the chest are very interesting.

 

[major bill]

Basically I am putting out a date to encourage others to add their thoughts.

One of the clues is the cut of the trousers. In the early 1880s trousers were tailored tighter in the upper leg area. To make this look even tighter, by the mid 1880s the trousers were tailored very tight at the knee. Even this was not enough and by the late 1880s or early 1890s the trousers became flared at the cuff (a bit like flared trousers of the 1960s).

So in the image I see tight knees but not too much of a flared cuff. Also jackets became increasing tighter in the 1880s to 1890s and the jacket sleeve cuffs became shorter. The collars of the white shirts were more visible above the jacket collar in the 1880s but became taller in the mid to late 1890s. At least to me the cut of the jackets look mid 1880s to early 1890s. If others see this different I would be happy to listen to anyone who has more expertise than I.

 

[1867crete]

Yes I've seen ww1 era soilders on tintypes. Like major bill said early 20th not in heard of

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Hello @Hallibag.

I agree with what the others have said.

Welcome to CivilWarTalk.

 

[WJC]

Awhile back, this image was picked up at an estate sale in Florida, with a bunch of other tintypes. I've been unable to identify the uniform these young men are wearing. It looks vaguely Confederate, but I'm not certain they're even soldiers. Does anyone recognize who they might be?

View attachment 151067

Also, they're both wearing, for lack of a better word, a corsage. I've seen at least one image of what's undoubtedly a Confederate soldier wearing a similar bunch of flowers. Did this have some special meaning?

Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to provide!

Looks like a military school uniform. In Confederate uniforms, the fancy braid on the arms was reserved for officers: these young men don't even look old enough to go asoldierin'....

 

[major bill]

One problem I have with military school is the lack of a school name on the caps.

 

[Hallibag]

Thanks to everyone who has responded, and for the welcomes!

Here's another photo, from the Library of Congress' website, that shows a soldier with a very similar-looking "corsage" pinned to his chest:

Considering how important "the language of flowers" was at the time, I'm sure it must have a meaning.

 

[Package4]

Awhile back, this image was picked up at an estate sale in Florida, with a bunch of other tintypes. I've been unable to identify the uniform these young men are wearing. It looks vaguely Confederate, but I'm not certain they're even soldiers. Does anyone recognize who they might be?

View attachment 151067

Also, they're both wearing, for lack of a better word, a corsage. I've seen at least one image of what's undoubtedly a Confederate soldier wearing a similar bunch of flowers. Did this have some special meaning?

Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to provide!

This appears to be a turn of the century uniform pattern and the shoes are a dead giveaway with the multiple eyelets. The close tailoring of pants legs, sleeves and even body of the tunic point to the late 1890's and it would appears to be a band and or school uniform.