Impossible to say if the LIFE Archive will ever stop producing jaw dropping images. These photos of cadets at West Point circa 1936 show the day-to-day happenings of the class of 1938. It is almost certain that all of the cadets pictured went on to fight in World War II. From an aesthetic standpoint, these shots are top notch. I made a comment about a sweater in the CCC post that is worth repeating here; I can almost hear the printers rolling at Ralph Lauren. Someone make a mental note about that 1938 sweater – if we’re lucky we will see it in the company’s AW10 collection. More images after the jump.
A cadet’s shoes in A-1 condition.
More LIFE posts here.
Great find, these are some of my favorite yet.
Beautiful. Love this post, Michael.
I’m a big fan of the instructors shawl collared jacket in the first post. been looking for an M-1926 Officers Short Overcoat for quite a while now. I wish someone would just make a jacket like that.
they made that exact sweater with 1938 on the front for Rugby last fall
Jesse, I had the same thought – I tried to find a picture but it’s gone.
In complete agreement; the LIFE archives are well stocked with solid photos. Hopefully there is no short supply, and we’ll get to enjoy for a while. Great post.
The old West Point look is very similar to today’s Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M.