Uniform of the Army of the United States. October 1, 1908

1908. (U.S. ARMY). The Uniform of the Army of the United States. October 1, 1908. Compiled by the Authority of the Secretary of War Under the Supervision of Brigadier General J.B. Aleshire, Quartermaster General, U.S.A. [Washington, DC: The Eichert Lith. Co. and A.B. Graham Co., Lith., 1908]. 1st ed. Portfolio of 126 chromolithographic plates (all issued), chromolithographic title plate, 1 plate of text. Orig. 3/4 red leather portfolio, marbled endpapers, red leather label on front board. Top left and bottom right corners from title page are chipped, else very good or better. An extremely scarce collection of prints showing all uniform parts of the time from full dress uniforms to sock and underwear. Rank insignia, brass, collar and sleeve insignia, hats, cords, shoes, dress and field uniforms, etc. Eighteen of the plates were deleted prior to issue because their subjects had become obsolete. "The decision to proceed with the present publication was dictated by two major considerations: the unquestioned position of Henry Alexander Ogden as a military artist and the inaccessibility of the original work to collectors and historians." Ogden had prepared for the office of the Quartermaster General 70 paintings depicting official army uniforms from 1776 to 1907. Forty-four of these represented the more colorful uniforms in use from 1776 to 1888. "In 1890, the Quartermaster General published these 44 paintings, together with a text covering the history and regulations. At the same time, the plates were privately published, along with an illuminating text by Henry Loomis Nelson... It is the latter edition that forms the basis for the present publication... Ogden rendered greater service to historians of the American Army uniform than any man in history" (Publisher's Note).