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DETAILS:Originalreal photo post card (RPPC) photograph of an African American female wearinga US Army Infantry uniform. The insignia\'s shows the 6 month overseas service stripe along with the 370th rattle snake patch indicating it\'s from theChicago 8th Infantry.
BACKGROUND: Cathay Williams was the first documented Black woman to serve in the U.S. Army. Born into slavery, she secretly enlisted in 1866 under the male pseudonym William Cathay and became the only known female Buffalo Soldier. During World War One, Loretta Walsh made history as the first woman to openly and officially enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces in March 1917. However,there are norecords of otherfemale soldiers having served until much later in 1942 -- especially African American women! Because the female in this photo is wearing a wedding ring it is possible that she dressed in her husband\'suniform for some kind ofimpromptu pose. Howeverthe backdrop indicates that it was taken at a professional studio and arranged beforehand. Was this her way of paying tribute to her fallen spouse? Finally it is also possible that she participatedwith the 370th but her participation was never recorded. Regardless of it\'s background,it is among the earliest examples of a black woman in a US Army Uniform.Measures 5.5\" x 3.5\" inches.
For other early African American military photographs, be certain to visit the African Americana and Militaria categories of our store. We offer among the finest selections of photos available on .
Oxxbridge Galleries
Established 1987
Oxxbridge Galleries was founded in 1987 and specializes in vintage paper itemswith a large selection of historical and 19th Century tintypes, daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, cabinet cards, carte des visites and other types of early photography.We invite everyone to visit our storeto view our entireinventory (STORE CATEGORY: Historical Photos).
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