Soldier in Richmond, California
Click here to view it larger.
I love all sorts of portraits, but I definitely have a fondness for the simple elegance of a person standing alone in a spare setting like this, and I’m happy that it’s a style of portrait found in basically all eras. This guy is beautifully lit, the lighting around him giving dimension and character to the setting while highlighting him as the subject. He’s just standing there, but he seems to convey so much. The uniform, with what I think are a service chevrons on his sleeve, speaks to wartime experience that almost contradicts his gentle face. I look at his uniform and think WWI, but the photo has a 1920s feel to me, and his long, unruly hair suggests he might not be presently enlisted. He probably has stories to tell. The photo, by the way, is about 4×6 inches, and is mounted into a cardboard folding frame. (I removed it from the frame for this scan.) The photographer is Parker of Richmond, California, as seen in the embossed insignia at the bottom right.
Pics of Then 
It certainly looks like he’s wearing a WWI uniform.
Yes, I think so, too. So I’m wondering if this photo was taken during the war? Or if it was later, as I suspect, were soldiers still wearing that uniform, or did he wear his old uniform to commemorate prior service? I’m not sure.
My best guess would be that it was taken during the war, before he shipped out. If it was near the end of the war, maybe he didn’t get sent overseas. I don’t know what to say about the hair, LOL.
Haha. Well, maybe. But my very sketchy googling of the chevrons on his sleeve indicated they meant he had already served. I should probably research that more thoroughly.