Historical Portrait
Loren B. Litchfield (World War I, Tulare County)
Archive record
Historical portrait of Loren B. Litchfield from Tulare County, California, circa 1914 during World War I era. Public domain photograph from archive collection.
About this photograph
The record identifies this as a portrait of Loren B. Litchfield from Tulare County, made around 1914 during the First World War era. The photograph belongs to the Tulare County Library's local history collection.
Tulare County sits in California's San Joaquin Valley, a farming region that grew rapidly in the late nineteenth century on irrigated agriculture. The county library holds a large collection of local history photographs documenting ordinary residents, families, schools, and businesses rather than public figures.
The United States entered the war in April 1917. Studios across the country did steady business photographing enlistees in uniform before they shipped out. Many county historical collections are full of these portraits, often the only formal photograph a young man ever sat for, made so that a copy could stay at home while he served.
The record dates this portrait to 1914, before American entry into the war, though the date range extends through 1918. The photographer is not identified.
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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