Uniform ID

Hello,

can anyone help with identification of the uniforms shown below in a tin type photograph

thanks for any and all opinions

 

I'd say marching band.....

 

Looks like Dad an' his 2 sons, to me. Private Militia?

 

Too bad the image is not clearer. It appears that the man is wearing some sort of long badge on his shirt. That reminds me of a ribbon type of badge from a fraternal or veterans organization. It appears to have strings of beads hanging down, and many of them did. The caps he and the boys are wearing look sort of military but maybe could be fraternal? Not sure.

And the tintype might be from the 1880s. Studios often had furry/grassy looking throws on the floors in that decade. The studio looks makeshift, with a blank screen put up behind the people and a fake fence also.

 

I'd say a private military academy. I have a family photo of boys at one (Mt. Pleasant) that was at Ossining NY around 1905, but after digging it up, I see their uniforms were not as fancy as I had remembered. For comparison, here is also an image of Custer in his West Point uniform.

 

Epaulette (/ˈɛpəlɛt/; also spelled epaulet)[1] is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of rank by armed forces and other organizations

. Although originally worn in the field, epaulettes are now normally limited to dress or ceremonial military uniforms.

Apart from that, flexible metal epaulettes were quite popular among certain armies in the 19th century, but were rarely worn on the field. Referred to as shoulder scales, they were e.g. an accoutrement of the US Cavalry, US Infantry and the US Artillery, from 1854 to 1872.

In the French and other armies, epaulettes are also worn by all ranks of elite or ceremonial units when on parade.

both kids may be wearing flag pole holsters..