The ship's band of the USS Columbia poses in full dress uniform on the cruiser's deck, flanked by two sailors in everyday work attire. Musical bands were a fixture of U.S. Navy ships in this era, providing ceremonial music for official functions and entertainment for the crew. USS Columbia, a fast protected cruiser commissioned in 1894, served during the Spanish-American War period and into the early twentieth century, and photographs like this one preserved the identity and camaraderie of the shipboard musicians who served aboard her. Project: 218602