I picked up this photo and I am trying to figure out what era it is from. The belt buckle says “US”. The weapon has a bayonet, so I assumed Civil War, but all the Civil War uniforms I have come across don’t resemble this one. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! [img size=300]https://kovels.com/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/warphoto.jpg[/img]
I believe what you have here is a photo of a late 19th Century West Point Cadet.
The uniform piping is very similar to the piping on a uniform from a lot of (3) that were sold by Cowan’s Auction in 2008 ([url]http://www.cowanauctions.com/auctions/item.aspx?ItemId=59580[/url]).
The rifle appears to be a Springfield 1884 Trapdoor Cadet Rifle similar to one I ran into on the Antique Gun List website ([url]http://www.antiquegunlist.com/index.php/home/1870-1898/rifles-shotguns/3136-springfield-1884-trapdoor-cadet-rifle-type-ii[/url]). Note the shape of the bayonet, relative to the one in the photo.
Thanks for sharing.
