HISTORIC PORTRAIT OF YOUNG MARINE MUSICIAN 

Full-length studio portrait albumen CDV. New York: R.A. Lord, ca. 1862. Photographer's imprint to mount verso. Tinting to uniform, curtain, carpet and chair. 

A colorful CDV portrait of a boy musician from the Marine Corps. He is shown in uniform, with his hands resting on the hilt of a musician's sword. While his face exudes youthfulness, especially with his hand-tinted pink cheeks, his expression reflects something more somber. To his right, a USMC shako sits on the plush green chair, completing his uniform. 

An article by Dr. Charles H. Cureton in Military Images Magazine offers deeper insight into Marine Corps boy musicians' uniforms around the Civil War, specifically sighting this image: "Tinted red in the photograph, the boy’s jacket was actually a bright scarlet color made of cochineal-dyed broadcloth, the same material used in making adult musician coats. Yet, for boy musicians to take their place in parade formations where uniformity was paramount, their jackets featured the adult musicians’ uniform coat and cuff decorations: white edged scarlet collar and slashed cuff, with two loops of yellow lace with a small Marine button at the end of each loop.... The remainder of his clothing was the same as issued to all Marines except musician’s trousers also featured a scarlet cord on the outside seam. His waist belt, belt plate, sword frog, and uniform cap were the same as worn by all Marines throughout the Civil War era; however, the photograph shows that his belt had been shortened to fit a small waist, and the large cap plate is the pattern used at the beginning of the war." 

Dr. Cureton continues his article by discussing the sword: "The sword in the photograph was one of 40 new pattern swords made under the Marine Corps’ first sword contract, but a design flaw led to the pattern being replaced. When the Marine Corps changed uniforms in 1859 it also changed the swords carried by noncommissioned officers and musicians to patterns that were supposed to be what the Marine regulation referred to as 'Same as U.S. Infantry.' As it happened, the patterns adopted were not the same as the Army patterns, but were derived from them... it was not until October 1859 before headquarters settled on a pattern that was based on the Army noncommissioned officers’ sword and ordered 40 'musician' swords from Horstmann and Sons with the provision that some of them would have blades and scabbards 'made shorter (for boys etc) when required.'... What is known from the records is that the 40 swords were not liked by the Band and led the Quartermaster Department to instruct Horstmann in June 1861 that the second supply would have 'half of the Guard on the inside be dispensed with altogether as it only serves to protect the thumb but is very inconvenient and awkward in wearing the sword.'"

An incredible insight into Marine Corps history. 

References: 

A Marine Boy Musician of the Old, Old Corps of the Civil War Era. 

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Photography, Early Photography, Historic Photography, Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, Tintypes, Cased Images, Union Cases, Albumen Photographs, CDVs, Carte de Visites, Cartes de Visite, Carte-de-visite, Cartes-de-visite, CDV, Cabinet Cards, Stereoviews, Stereocards]