Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Swiss Cantinieres...Maybe

I found a few period images of what may be Cantinieres or Marketenderin in the Swiss army. As the women wear female civilian clothing it's hard to tell if the women are civilian employees, soldier's wives or independent merchants.

The two versions of the same subject are from the 1860s....




The more modern images are from the early 20th Century and female canteen employees, again in civilian clothing.




In the last image, the woman might be a local woman being offered a taste of army food or a civilian employed to purchase local food. In the French Army, Cantinieres and Vivandieres made their living purchasing the local food and drink then selling them to the troops. This was an effort to augment army rations and to keep soldiers near the camp rather than foraging or looting.






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