Historical Portrait
Albert S. Tenneson (World War I, Tulare County)
Archive record
Portrait of Albert S. Tenneson from Traver, Tulare County, California, taken in 1914 during World War I era. Public-domain historical photograph.
About this photograph
Albert S. Tenneson came from Traver in Tulare County, a farming region in California's San Joaquin Valley. The photograph was taken in 1914, three years before the United States entered the First World War in April 1917.
The date presents a puzzle. War-era portraits like this were common once America joined the conflict, with local studios photographing enlistees in uniform before they departed. Many such images were made so families could keep a copy at home, and they now form a large part of county historical collections, often the only formal photograph a young man ever sat for. But 1914 predates American involvement by three years.
The record provides no further detail about Tenneson's service or circumstances, and the photographer is unknown. Tulare County's library maintains an extensive local history photograph collection documenting ordinary residents, families, schools and businesses rather than prominent figures. This portrait is held among those materials and was digitised as part of California Revealed, a statewide effort to make holdings from libraries, archives and museums across California publicly accessible.
Compiled from the catalogue record and reference notes on the formats and events involved. The archive record above is the primary source.
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