semiautomaticpistol

This is a Committee on Public Information photo, No. 4315.. From the Committee's catalog: "4315 SHOWING HIS PROWESS TO HIS INSTRUCTORS This marine now undergoing intensive training in France received approval from his instructors." Catalogue of Photographs and Stereopticon Slides United States. Committee on Public Information. Division of pictures March 1 to June 1, 1918 books.google.com/books?id=DYxDAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA25&lp...

Art Siegel: Thanks for finding the related image in the Catalogue of Photographs and Stereopticon Slides. We will include more details in our updated description.

French government archive of CPI photos has same photo, dated 3-27-18, with caption "Ce Marine américain est, après un long entraînement en France, considéré par ses supérieurs comme prêt à faire la guerre" www.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistral/memsmn_fr?ACTION=RETRO...

Date on bottom of image is 7-19-18

The man in the photograph is Alfred P. Lane, Olympic shooter and gold medalist who was hired by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in 1914 to train police officers how to shoot. Lane competed in two Olympics, winning three gold medals (50m Free Pistol, 50m Team Free Pistol, and 50m Rapid Fire Pistol) in the 1912 Olympic Games (Stockhom), plus a bronze medal (50m Free Pistol) and two more gold medals (50m Team Free Pistol, 50m Rapid Fire Pistol) in the 1920 Olympic Games (Antwerp). Lane would later be among the first inducted into the United States International Shooters Hall of Fame in 1991. Also of interest in this photograph is the pistol Lane is shooting. It is a Colt Model 1908 Hammerless Pistol (Colt M1908), designed by John Moses Browning, and manufactured by Colt. It is noteworthy because during this period the NYPD became one of the few police departments of the era to have adopted a semi-automatic pistol as an issued firearm (in this case for its detectives.) However, the M1908's career in the NYPD was short lived, and it was withdrawn from NYPD service by 1918 (thought to be because of accidental/negligent discharges by some of the officers it was issued to). The NYPD would not authorize the widespread issue of semi-automatic pistols again until 1993.

I added him to Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_P._Lane

LOC -- his name is Alfred P. Lane, not "Alf Plane"

As the handwritten caption on the photo notes, this is a photo of test pilot Ralph B. Virden (b. 1898 - d. 1941). Here he is standing next to a Boeing Model 40. Ralph Virden would ultimately perish while performing high-speed dive tests of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning (Lockheed YP-38 Lightning, USAAF Serial No. 39-689) on November 4, 1941. See: www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/ralph-b-virden/

According to this: tinyurl.com/kkk9qm Col. Wingate was commander of the 2nd Field Artillery Regiment of the NY National Guard in 1913. These photos are probably taken on the same maneuvers in HIcksville as the ones on previous pages. See: www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/3774622759/in/s...

A Colonel George A. Wingate is listed as the commanding officer of the 2nd Field Artillery, Division HQ, N.Y. National Guard located at 171 Clermont Avenue in Brooklyn according to the 1915 edition of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac (on Google Books).

Interesting -- the previous two comments on this picture, one of them mine, have been removed.

There were none when I commented but it listed 2 comments after I made mine although only mine appeared.

I don't think this is an artillery unit, Notice the aide on the col's left, he's carrying a colt .38 model 1909 with butt foreward, spurs and boots scream calvary. Of course I may be worng artillery was moved by horse at that time ( poss. 1912- 1916). When do you think the pic was taken?