Label Type
Mystery MondayLabel
Happy Memorial Day. Purdue University Galleries salutes the men, women, and families who have served and sacrificed. In honor of the holiday here is a unique 1919 photograph of a World War I cavalryman. Purdue University houses the largest collection of this early 20th century Chicagoan photographer. Do you know his name?
The answer to today’s challenge is Charles J. Pansirna (1887-1970). Pansirna was born in Lithuania and emigrated to the United States when he was a teenager. After some time working as a coal miner in Pennsylvania, he eventually settled in Chicago and opened a photography studio at 19th and Halsted Street. He was entirely self-taught and photographed his neighbors, most of whom were also immigrants from Eastern Europe. He documented many changes in society including the 1918 flu, two World Wars, and hundreds of weddings, christenings, and funerals before closing his studio in the 1950s.
In this image, we see a creative solution to a problem. The solider is a cavalryman but could not pose with his horse inside Pansirna’s photography studio. Here the horse, body of the soldier, foreground, and background are all painted, and the soldier’s head is clearly a photograph. How this was accomplished is a bit of a mystery. Because he was entirely self-taught, Pansirna often experimented with different techniques in his practice, and it is unclear if the painted backdrop had a cut out and the soldier is standing on a stool sticking his head through like novelty photo opportunities we still see today or if Pansirna took elements from two images and then physically combined them together. How do you think he did it?
This image was likely taken to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I since the year 1919 is written on the arch in the background. The red and white stripped flag is associated with armies from Belarus, Lithuania, and Poland during this period. The German Empire occupied all three countries before the war and many Lithuanian, Polish, and Belarusian Americans rushed to enlisted to fight against them. He is also wearing what appears to be the Distinguished Service Cross medal on his chest which was awarded for heroism beginning in 1918. Sadly, we do not know the name of this soldier, but we can appreciate this image of him taken over 100 years ago. Come back next week for a new Mystery Monday.
Title: Portrait of a Cavalry Soldier
Artist: Charles J. Pansirna (1887-1970), Lithuanian American
Date: 1919
Medium: Glass plate negative
Technique: Photography
Accession number: 1982.21.0493