Historical Portrait
Herman W. Lauffenberger (World War I, Tulare County)
Archive record
Public domain historical portrait of Herman W. Lauffenberger from Tulare County, California, taken in 1914 during World War I era. Historical photograph.
About this photograph
Herman W. Lauffenberger was a Tulare County, California resident photographed in 1914. The portrait is held in the county library's local history photograph collection.
Tulare County lies in California's San Joaquin Valley, a farming region that grew rapidly in the late nineteenth century through irrigated agriculture. The county library's photograph holdings document ordinary residents, families, schools, and businesses rather than prominent individuals.
The date falls early in the First World War period, though the United States did not enter the conflict until April 1917. Once America joined the war, local photographic studios throughout the country saw increased business making portraits of men who had enlisted. These photographs were often commissioned so families could keep a copy while the subject was away, and for many young men the enlistment portrait was the only formal photograph ever made of them.
The photographer is not identified. The portrait has been digitised through California Revealed, a statewide initiative that makes historical materials from California libraries, archives, museums, and historical societies available to the public online.
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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