French Medical Orderlies (Infirmiers), 15th Corps, 1907.

These are three postcards sent by a French army medical orderly, or male nurse (infirmier) to the Cuvellier family in central France. The infirmier was in the 15th Corps located in Marseille. The series of pictures all appear to have been taken on the grounds of a botanical garden of some kind. There must have been different occasions because the central figure is in a different uniform each time. Some distinguishing points for infirmiers are the white piping on the kepi, the white fringe of the epaulettes in full dress, and the collar and kepi badges. The full dress kepi or shako has the full badge of the French army's medical services, while the collar has a smaller and simpler medical insignia. Two versions of the collar badge are in these pictures; the more oblong one may be an officer's pattern. Our man is a non-commissioned officer, as shown by the two red cuff stripes which, however, appear to be single stripes, and white, in one of the seated photos. Perhaps a promotion took place between two of the photo sessions.

Page by Mark Conrad, 2019.