Period Photos of People with Ethnographic Arms

[Will M]

Originally Posted by gp

Lavian Riflemen, AKA "strelniki"

Part of the Russian Imperial Army, in WW I about 30.000 men around 1917
Some later joined the Bolshevik revolution and hence its army
The majority remained in Latvia to protect the country due to an internal strugle and instability,
caused by 3 governments fighting for control ( German, Sovjet and Latvian) untill Latvia's independance 1920/22

That's a wonderful photo of Russian troops with the Winchester 1895 pattern musket in 7.62x54.

[gp]

…

[Tatyana Dianova]

Yuhym Bozhko has organized in 1918 the volunteer "Zaporozhian Sich" Division which became a part of the armee of the People’s Republic of Ukraine and was fighting with Russian Red Armee.

Russian link in Wiki:
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91...84%D0%B8%D0%BC

Ukrainian link in Wiki:
https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%91...85%D0%B8%D0%BC

[gp]

interesting : a Scandinavian site mentions him in 1756 as a leader.
Gues 2 different men with the same name, centuries separate..

https://mewikisv.com/wiki/%D0%A0%D1%...BD%D1%96%D0%B2

[gp]

a picture of an Austrian gent during WWI in 1915.
Remarkable to me is the weapon he is posing with:
a long Werndl bayonet .

You would expect a special knife ( like the Ottoman bichaq or Indonesian Kris) but a bayonet on a picture like this ? I never saw before. Even if it was a long one like this.

[gp]

and a few pics from different folks, yet in a region close to eachother; Albanian, Dalmatia, Herzegovina, Bosnia, Montenegro between 1860 -1910

[gp]

and not to make it a male dominated issue, hereby some women who we need to show some respect....

2 ladies from Armenia, 1895 during the 1895 Hamidian massacres, the Armenians of Zeitun (modern Süleymanlı), took up arms to defend themselves against the Ottomans

Next a lady from the Balkans ( Herzegowina around 1878)

followd by an Albanian lady from 1924 and a second Albanian lady with her spousse a little earlier ( most likely 1910-1920)

[David R]

Originally Posted by gp

a picture of an Austrian gent during WWI in 1915.
Remarkable to me is the weapon he is posing with:
a long Werndl bayonet .

You would expect a special knife ( like the Ottoman bichaq or Indonesian Kris) but a bayonet on a picture like this ? I never saw before. Even if it was a long one like this.

Could be a studio prop! I remember a weird story about Austro-Hungarian photos from this era, Travelling salesmen sold the country girls pics of their loved one in the army.. They had two images, with a moustache, and without but the girls accepted these as a true likeness.

[Ren Ren]

Originally Posted by David R

They had two images, with a moustache, and without but the girls accepted these as a true likeness.

Very nice detail! Thank you, David!