Military

Frank Brownell's Medal of Honor

The Museum's superb military collections document the history of the men and women of the armed forces of the United States. The collections include ordnance, firearms, and swords; uniforms and insignia; national and military flags and banners; and many other objects.

The strength of the collections lies in their enormous depth. Some 3,000 military small arms and 2,400 civilian firearms document the mechanical and technological history of the infantryman's weapons from the beginning of the gunpowder era to the present. Among the 4,000 swords and knives in the collection are many spectacular presentation pieces. The collections also include Civil War era telegraph equipment, home front artifacts from both world wars, early computers such as ENIAC, Whirlwind, and Sage, and materials carried at antiwar demonstrations.

Resource Type: Photographs

Ambrotype of a Confederate Soldier

This intriguing ambrotype shows what appears to be a soldier in a Zouave uniform advancing with weapon in hand. The man shown here-- whether he was a soldier or a civilian portraying one is unknown-- was actually posing for photographer and abolitionist T.P.
Description
This intriguing ambrotype shows what appears to be a soldier in a Zouave uniform advancing with weapon in hand. The man shown here-- whether he was a soldier or a civilian portraying one is unknown-- was actually posing for photographer and abolitionist T.P. Collins, likely as a study for a painting.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1860-1865
ID Number
PG.004697
catalog number
4697
accession number
189067

Normandy Invasion (G)

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944-06-06
maker
Capa, Robert
ID Number
PG.007450
accession number
255885
catalog number
7450

Normandy Invasion (C)

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944-06-06
maker
Capa, Robert
ID Number
PG.007445
accession number
255885
catalog number
7445

Faces at the Station

silver bromide print by Hans Marx; Faces at the Station (Naval Reservists Departure) in 1940Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
silver bromide print by Hans Marx; Faces at the Station (Naval Reservists Departure) in 1940
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940
maker
Marx, Hans
ID Number
PG.004923
accession number
202242
catalog number
4923

General MacArthur signing peace terms with Japan aboard the USS MISSOURI

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1945-09-02
depicted (sitter)
MacArthur, Douglas
maker
Lee, Dudley P.
ID Number
PG.004400
catalog number
4400
accession number
172759

Training Flight, US Air Force

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Falk, Sam
ID Number
PG.69.99.075
accession number
281224
catalog number
69.99.75

Normandy Invasion (E)

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944-06-06
maker
Capa, Robert
ID Number
PG.007447
accession number
255885
catalog number
7447

"D-Day," by Robert Capa

Robert Capa (1913 - 1954) documented World War II from the bombing of London to fronts in North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany.
Description
Robert Capa (1913 - 1954) documented World War II from the bombing of London to fronts in North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany. He captured this arresting image of American troops landing at Omaha Beach on D-day, June 6, 1944.
Capa was one of two magazine war correspondents allowed to join the U.S. troops landing on the shores of Normandy, France, for the D-Day operations, launching the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Western Europe. Sailing with the 2000 men transported on the U.S.S. Chase, Capa joined the men of Company E on a barge headed for the section of the beach designated "Easy Red."
Dodging bullets and hiding behind pieces of steel, Capa photographed for hours in waist-deep water with several Contax cameras. His hands trembled, and he ruined many rolls of film as he tried to change film amid the dead and wounded of the battle. Capa did make his way to the shore, but soon after found himself jumping aboard a barge to rest and dry off, not realizing the boat was returning to its main ship. Capa didn't get back to shore again until the fighting had ended.
Capa's D-Day was sent directly to the offices of LIFE in London for processing. Hurrying to develop the rolls, a technician turned up the heat in the dryers, ruining many of the 72 images taken. Only 11 survived.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944
maker
Capa, Robert
ID Number
PG.007429
accession number
255885
catalog number
7429

Normandy Invasion (F)

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944-06-06
maker
Capa, Robert
ID Number
PG.007446
accession number
255885
catalog number
7446

Normandy Invasion (A)

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944-06-06
maker
Capa, Robert
ID Number
PG.007451
accession number
255885
catalog number
7451

Civil War Soldier

Photographs can be powerful connections to the past. Soldiers, for example often had their portraits made before going off to war so that loved ones would have a rememberance of them in the event they did not return.
Description
Photographs can be powerful connections to the past. Soldiers, for example often had their portraits made before going off to war so that loved ones would have a rememberance of them in the event they did not return. This decorative mat is unusual and suggests the pride the owner may have felt about his status as a fighting soldier.
Ambrotypes were most popular in the mid-1850s, and, therefore, are less common than other formats for portraits of Civil War soldiers. Ambrotypes are cased collodian negatives backed by dark cloth, paper, or varnish. In this example, pink coloring has been applied to the subjects's cheeks to make the portrait feel more warm and human.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1861-1865
maker
unknown
ID Number
PG.75.17.927
accession number
322775
catalog number
75.17.927

Tintype Portrait of a Union Soldier

This tintype depicts a portrait of a Union artilleryman. The insignia on his coat and had have been painted gold and his cheeks have been tinted pink. An order issued by the U.S.
Description
This tintype depicts a portrait of a Union artilleryman. The insignia on his coat and had have been painted gold and his cheeks have been tinted pink. An order issued by the U.S. War Department in 1858 called for enlisted men to receive each year one dress hat such as the Hardee hat this man is wearing and a fatigue or forage cap.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1860s
ID Number
PG.75.17.187
catalog number
75.17.187
accession number
322775

Troops at Mt. Vernon

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
referenced
Washington, George
ID Number
PG.66.25.35
accession number
263090
catalog number
66.25.35

Normandy Invasion (H)

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944-06-06
maker
Capa, Robert
ID Number
PG.007449
accession number
255885
catalog number
7449

Normandy Invasion (D)

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944-06-06
maker
Capa, Robert
ID Number
PG.007452
accession number
255885
catalog number
7452

Photograph of Hog Island

The United States entered World War I in April 1917. Within days, the federal government created the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to construct a fleet of merchant ships.
Description
The United States entered World War I in April 1917. Within days, the federal government created the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to construct a fleet of merchant ships. The EFC hired the American International Shipbuilding Corporation to build and operate the largest shipyard in the world: Hog Island, near Philadelphia.
Hog Island’s 50 shipways stretched a mile and a quarter along the Delaware River near Philadelphia. It abutted 846 acres with 250 buildings and 28 outfitting docks, on what is now the site of the Philadelphia International Airport. At its peak, the yard employed around 30,000 workers. Most were men, but some 650 women worked in the yard. Many of the workers had no factory experience, so they were trained on the job.
At its peak, Hog Island launched a vessel every 5½ days, and its workers built 122 cargo and troop transport ships in four years. Although none saw service before the end of the war, the United States learned how to build large ships quickly on a grand scale from prefabricated parts. This valuable experience would expedite the Liberty and Victory ship building programs of World War II.
date made
1919
ID Number
TR.335550.2
catalog number
335550.2
accession number
1977.0003

Soldier leaning against car

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1945
ID Number
2016.0143.04
catalog number
2016.0143.04
accession number
2016.0143

Portrait of a group of women in uniform

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940s
ID Number
2017.0309.0084
accession number
2017.0309
catalog number
2017.0309.0084

Two women in uniform

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1946-05-16
ID Number
2017.0309.0033
accession number
2017.0309
catalog number
2017.0309.0033

Two women in uniform on stairs

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940s
ID Number
2017.0309.0031
accession number
2017.0309
catalog number
2017.0309.0031

Soldier standing in garden

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1945
ID Number
2016.0143.12
catalog number
2016.0143.12
accession number
2016.0143

Two women in uniform with discharge certificate

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940s
ID Number
2017.0309.0007
accession number
2017.0309
catalog number
2017.0309.0007

Soldier with a baby

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944
maker
Smith, W. Eugene
ID Number
2008.0096.04
accession number
2008.0096
catalog number
2008.0096.04

Military Barracks

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1940s
ID Number
2017.0309.0062
accession number
2017.0309
catalog number
2017.0309.0062

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