Justin Piccirilli is an extremely patient genealogist. He first contacted me
back in 2005 about these images, which he thinks depict his great uncle Costabile
Piccirillo in a military uniform.
This is part one of a two-part photo identification problem that covers both military
history and foreign family photos.
As you probably know from reading past columns, deciphering clues in a military image
is a challenge. There were no standard uniforms in the 19th and early 20th century.
This gorgeous portrait shows a young man in a dress uniform. I know it?s a dress uniform
because of the white gloves and shiny epaulets at the shoulders. Each metal piece
of his uniform is freshly polished for this important portrait.
This full-body picture shows this man at attention with some simple props?a vase of
flowers and a doily on a table.
