A young American soldier poses for a formal portrait in his U.S. Army wool service coat during World War I. The standing collar, patch pockets, and brass buttons are hallmarks of the uniform worn by the American Expeditionary Forces sent to Europe in 1917-1918. Portraits like this one were commonly taken and shared with family before soldiers departed for training camps or the battlefields of France, serving as treasured keepsakes during the uncertainty of wartime separation. Project: 218653