Illustrations of US Army Uniforms 1774 to 1889 by Henry A. Ogden — Commissioned by the Quartermaster General of the Army

These illustrations by Henry A. Ogden were commissioned by Brig. General S. B. Holabird, Quartermaster General of the US Army. They appeared in a folio entitled Uniforms of the Army of the United States Illustrated from 1774 to 1889, which was published in 1889 B.M. Whitlock.

The original complete set included a Minute Man (1774-75), General Washington as Commander-in-Chief (1779-83), a West Point Cadet (1813-21), General-in-Chief Winfield Scott (1858-61), Lieutenant-General Grant and Major-General Meade (1861-66), and many more.

These are the original prints, not reproductions, 15" x 17" printed on heavy stock with deep, bright colors. They are far superior to the later reproductions.

They are in very good condition, without staining or discoloration, with the one exception being Plate 18, which shows a little wear.

They are available individually and perfect for framing. The folio in which they came is also available.

Ogden (1856–1936) worked for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper before setting out as a freelance artist.

The illustrations featured five different ranks, therefore five different uniforms.

The well-worn folio that once held these and all of the others is also available. (Note that it contains no prints since they are being offered individually.)

Size: 15" x 17"

Shipping: $10 for one or more.

About the artist

Henry (Harry) Alexander Ogden, also known as H. A. Ogden, (1856–1936) was an American illustrator particularly of historical and military subjects.

He was born in Philadelphia on July 17, 1856 but moved to Brooklyn, New York when he was quite young and it was at the Brooklyn Institute and the Brooklyn Academy of Design that he received his first training in art. At the age of 17, he began work with Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. This allowed him to travel extensively around the United States and Europe. One visit to the American West in 1877 resulted in over 200 illustrations.

In 1881 he resigned from Leslie's to set up as a free-lance artist, submitting numerous illustrations to newspapers and magazines. A number of these were illustrations of historical scenes, and Ogden's interest in early America and the Revolutionary War led him to his most ambitious project, to record the uniforms of the United States Army. Between 1890 and 1907, various sections of Uniforms of the United States Army were published. The Quartermaster General of the army had been so impressed with Ogden's work that he commissioned the artist to prepare designs depicting the uniforms of the army since its inception in the 18th century. The first dozen watercolors were completed by the mid-1880s; these were used in the Regulations for the Uniform of the Army of the United States published in May 1888. The artist began work on seventy paintings representing uniforms worn between 1774 and 1888. Some of this work was undertaken at Fort Jay on Governor's Island off New York, and to facilitate his work, examples of uniforms were sent up from Washington, D.C. In each drawing, Ogden depicted five soldiers of different rank. For each completed plate, he received $100. In 1890, the first forty-seven plates were published, and subsequent plates covered the period from 1898 up to 1907.

Besides his work on the uniform series, Ogden was a prolific illustrator for books including The Pageant of America. He was a member of the New York Historical Society and the Illustrators Society, and was considered one of the leading authorities on colonial costume. He lent advice to various historical pageants including the Hudson-Fulton Celebration of 1909.

Ogden provided the designs for the stained glass windows in the Valley Forge Memorial Chapel and authored, Our Army for Boys; Boys Book of Famous Regiments; and George Washington For Young People.

He died on 14 June 1936 at Englewood, New Jersey, at the age of 79.

Sources: Wikipedia an AskArt.