Historical Portrait
Eugene H. McCorkle (World War I, Tulare County), 003
Archive record
Public domain historical portrait of Eugene H. McCorkle from World War I era, photographed in 1914. Original archived photograph from Tulare County, California.
About this photograph
Eugene H. McCorkle appears in military uniform in this portrait from Tulare County. The photograph is dated 1914, three years before the United States entered the First World War in April 1917.
The early date raises questions the archive record does not resolve. American men did not generally wear military uniform in 1914 unless already serving in the peacetime army or state militia. Whether McCorkle belonged to such a unit, enlisted early in the war period, or whether the date itself is uncertain, the record does not say.
Tulare County lies in California's San Joaquin Valley, a farming region built on irrigated agriculture and settled heavily in the late nineteenth century. The county library maintains a local history photograph collection focused on ordinary residents rather than public figures.
Once the United States did enter the war, local studios photographed thousands of enlistees in uniform before they shipped out. Many of these portraits were made so families could keep a copy at home, and they now form a substantial part of county historical collections across the country. For many young men, the enlistment portrait was the only formal photograph ever taken. Whether this photograph of McCorkle belongs to that common pattern or predates it, the record leaves open.
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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