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Circa 1913. "Group of soldiers in front of tent." Possibly the National Guard camp at Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania. National Photo glass negative. View full size.
The supposed masculinity issues of leg crossing may have entered our culture later than this photo. Growing up in the 50s and 60s, I was also told by self-appointed manliness cops (not my parents) that crossing the legs at the knee was not masculine. Even worse was stretching out and crossing them at the ankles. There wasn't a jury in the world that would acquit you if you were seen doing that. I kinda think that the hyper-paranoia about masculine traits reached its peak in the 50s and 60s, maybe as part of the generalized Cold War hysterias. In older photos, as late as the 20s and 30s at least, groups of seated men are seen unselfconsciously crossing their legs however they pleased. And the number of 19th Century photos showing groups of men expressing nothing more than simple friendship by draping their arms around each other still shocks me, who was raised to never show any "unmanly" behavior.
So, the two guys on the left have a definite manly leg position. Open and ballsy. But I was always told that to cross your legs like the guys on the right of the photo was feminine. I've noticed in many of the older photos, that many of the men crossed their legs like the guys on the right side of this image. Particularly the men from the Civil War era. I'm not trying to make a point, but an observation. Comments?
Stencil typo on the box. Love those leggings.
Left to right: Simon Baker ("The Mentalist"), Frank Gorshen (Riddler in the TV "Batman"), Jamie Farr (Klinger), Gianni Russo (son-in-law Carlo Rizzi in "The Godfather"), Wishbone (well-read terrier and namesake of old PBS show), Gary Cooper (Sgt. York) and Alan Arkin (in-law in the original "In-Laws").
These look like the tents used at 50th Anniversary of Gettysburg (read the box the sergeant is sitting on). The Pa. National Guard was used to maintain the camp, prepare meals, etc.
[The box may be from Gettysburg (it's where I got the 1913 date) but the photo is from a batch taken at Mount Gretna. - Dave]
Why is it many times when you see a dog in a photograph with a group of humans, the dog looks like the superior intellect?
Four score and sixteen years ago this weekend, our forefathers threw a big anniversary party (and apparently had some leftovers, which were then made available to the Guard down the road).
It looks like the cast is taking a break from filming "Sergeant York"! And look, our star is posing like Lana Turner!
Say, isn't that Corporal Klinger standing next to the tent?
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