Figure 1.--This cabinent card portrait shows Frank Stearns in his military cadet uniform. He looks about 12-13 years old. Frank attended the Brooks Military Academy. Many private schools in America were military schools, especially boarding schools. This was an intresting development in that America, unlike Europe, did not have alarge standing army or military tradition. Note the kepi. After the Civil War, most military schools adopted these caps as part of the uniform.

Frank Stearns (United States, late-1880s)

This cabinent card portrait shows Frank Stearns in his military cadet uniform. He looks about 12-13 years old. Frank attended the Brooks Military Academy. Many private schools in America were military schools, especially boarding schools. This did not mean that the boys were intended to pursue a military career. In fact these boys genrally came from families in comfortable circumstances. Rather the idea seems to have been primarily the parent's assesment that the boys would benefit from the discipline. The development of military schools was an intresting development in that America, unlike Europe, did not have alarge standing army or military tradition. Note the kepi. After the Civil War, most military schools adopted these caps as part of the uniform. Frank has short hair, not doubt because he attended a military school and short hair was becoming increasingly standard in the 1880s. The photographer was Theo Endean in Cleveland, Ohio. The portrait is undated. It looks to us as if it was taken in the 1880s, althouhh the early 90s is possible. This is confirmed by the pack of the card. The studio won an award in 1887. This means that the card was taken in 1887 or sometime later. Usually these studios did not post notices of these awards if they were very old.









HBC





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Created: 3:52 AM 1/22/2009
Last edited: 3:52 AM 1/22/2009