Folk Art US Navy Platoon Figures

Homemade folk-art group of cardboard figures representing what I’m pretty certain is a US Navy platoon, circa 1890s.

Watercolor and pencil on cardboard, attached to wooden feet with iron tacks.

Arms are not only individually jointed onto torsos with fine copper wire, but the fingers of each hand are also articulated. Each figure has an encircling belt made of folded kraft paper punched at its ends and closed at front with copper wire. A cardboard knife hangs from the majority of these belts. There is a total of 20 rifles with stocks and bayonets fashioned from cardboard and attached to small pieces of wood with copper wire… some (5) of the rifles were slung over the shoulders of individual figures when purchased.

28 figures total: Captain, 1st Class Quarter Master, 1st Class Boatswain, hospital doctor, hospital medic, 3rd Ma(chine) Engineer, 3rd Quartermaster, 5 designated with “Art” on reverse (gunner’s mate?), 3 with various shoulder stripes designated with “Eng” (engineer?) on reverse, 5 designated simply with “A” on reverse (one with a pack), and 8 designated with “B” on reverse (one with pack).

While the figures almost certainly date to the first decade or two of the 20th century, the uniforms seem to represent those in use in the time just prior to the period (1890s at least).

Found in the vicinity of Syracuse, New York.