Historical Portrait
Guyles Smith (World War I, Tulare County)
Archive record
Historical portrait of Guyles Smith from Tulare County, California, taken in 1914 during World War I era. Public-domain photograph from archive collection.
About this photograph
This portrait of Guyles Smith from Tulare County dates to 1914, before the United States entered the First World War in April 1917.
Tulare County sits in California's San Joaquin Valley, a farming region that relied on irrigated agriculture. The county library maintains a large local history photograph collection focused on ordinary residents rather than public figures.
The record does not identify the photographer or provide biographical details about Smith. The 1914 date falls within the war years catalogued but precedes American involvement. Once the United States did enter the conflict, Selective Service registered millions of men for military service. Local studios photographed many enlistees in uniform before departure, often creating the only formal portrait a young man would ever have made. Families kept copies at home.
Whether this photograph was made for such a purpose, or what connection Smith had to the war, the record does not say.
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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