# Help me figure out what era this picture of a soldier is from. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 20, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071 "2018-01-20T20:37:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/1 "2018-01-20T20:37:45Z")
I’m sure he’s an American, but that’s all the context I can provide. [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/8nZv8ym.jpeg "Mystery guy") ](https://imgur.com/8nZv8ym) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/2 "2018-01-20T20:43:44Z")
Offhand, I would say World War I. Or _maybe_ Spanish-American War. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/3 "2018-01-20T20:50:54Z")
I am not so sure he’s American. Looks English, WW1. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/4 "2018-01-20T21:19:24Z")
One of the [Harlem Hellfighters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/369th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States))of WWI. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/5 "2018-01-20T21:37:33Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I am not so sure he’s American. Looks English, WW1. Do you have any basis for this wild guess? He’s wearing an American WWI uniform (M1912 coat and puttees). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/6 "2018-01-20T21:49:58Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Do you have any basis for this wild guess? He’s wearing an American WWI uniform (M1912 coat and puttees). Well, his upper lip did look stiff. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/7 "2018-01-20T21:55:20Z")
> [@Arrendajo](#): > > One of the [Harlem Hellfighters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/369th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States))of WWI. Looks like a good call to me. My first thought was WWI, but that’s as far as I was willing to conjecture. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/8 "2018-01-20T22:44:08Z")
> [@Arrendajo](#): > > One of the [Harlem Hellfighters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/369th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States))of WWI. This makes sense. Sounds like these men were so popular that people back then would’ve sold and collected their photos, which would explain why I inherited this one. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/9 "2018-01-20T22:57:11Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Do you have any basis for this wild guess? He’s wearing an American WWI uniform (M1912 coat and puttees). Why no I didn’t. Just a WAG. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/10 "2018-01-20T23:39:33Z")
Doughboy. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2018, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/11 "2018-01-21T00:06:29Z")
> [@Arrendajo](#): > > One of the [Harlem Hellfighters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/369th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States))of WWI. That’s just a guess right? There is no way to see if he is wearing the coiled snake patch and there certainly were other black units at the time. All I can see is a black soldier wearing a WWI era uniform. Is there a detail I missed? ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2018, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/12 "2018-01-21T10:48:21Z")
He looks a lot like the dude in [this article](http://www.starexponent.com/news/african-american-world-war-i-soldiers-served-at-a-time/article_c0557923-8d0d-5b41-91c3-c08aee240745.html) ---
**Author:** ![UncaStuart](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncastuart/32/404_2.png) [@UncaStuart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncaStuart)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/13 "2018-01-22T03:07:07Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > He’s wearing an American WWI uniform (M1912 coat and puttees). Do you think it might be the M1910 uniform, with the turn-down collar rather than the stand-up of the 1912? The puttees do put it in WWI, certainly. Maybe the belt and bag are French? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/14 "2018-01-22T05:44:56Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > That’s just a guess right? There is no way to see if he is wearing the coiled snake patch and there certainly were other black units at the time. All I can see is a black soldier wearing a WWI era uniform. Is there a detail I missed? Perhaps that that man _is actually in the group photo_, on the bottom left. Looks like the same guy to me. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/15 "2018-01-23T02:02:56Z")
No, I just figured the Harlem Hellfighters were the most widely known black U.S. unit if WWI. The 92nd and 93rd infantry divisions were also black and/or integrated. I don’t see any identifying patches or insignias on his uniform. I’m not sure what the chain or cord is going from his right shoulder to front pocket. He’s almost certainly U.S. infantry WWI, though, which does limit the number of outfits he could have served with. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/16 "2018-01-23T05:00:34Z")
What’s the chain on his shoulder? Is it just a pocketwatch, or something else important? ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/17 "2018-01-23T10:52:42Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > What’s the chain on his shoulder? Is it just a pocketwatch, or something else important? Trench whistle? I’ve also read that soldiers were issued with a lanyard for a pocket knife, but I would guess that was a belt lanyard? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/18 "2018-01-23T23:42:43Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Perhaps that that man _is actually in the group photo_, on the bottom left. Looks like the same guy to me. What am I missing? What group photo? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/19 "2018-01-24T00:09:01Z")
To me, the biggest thing that says “WWI” are the boots or leggings he is wearing. The 2nd biggest is the overall tint of the photograph. It looks “modern” but pre-WWII. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071/20 "2018-01-24T00:13:14Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > What am I missing? What group photo? The one at the bottom of the \*\*History \*\*section, I think. [This one.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:369th_15th_New_York.jpg) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-figure-out-what-era-this-picture-of-a-soldier-is-from/807071.md?page=2)