Original Austro-Hungarian WWI Studio Portrait of Soldier & Family Member in Bubble Frame with Possible Identification on Reverse - Paul Mankowski - 17 x 23”

Original Item. Only One Available. This is a lovely and scarce portrait of an Austro-Hungarian soldier alongside a family member, taken during the World War I era. The soldier is wearing an Austro-Hungarian enlisted man’s overseas cap with the FJI Cap badge, for Franz Joseph I.

The frame measures 17 x 23” and is in good condition, with some of the ornate pieces on the front of the frame becoming loose. On the back of the frame are attached two copies of the same Funerary notice, for the death of Mary P. Mankowski, born 1893 and passed away 1974 in Detroit, Michigan. Her husband was Paul Mankowski, a Polish man who we believe to have been the soldier in the photo, but of this we can’t be certain. Before and during World War I, Poland didn’t exist as its own country, instead being part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and as such, many Polish men fought for the empire during the war. It was not until after the war that Poland became its own country again.

This is a really tremendous portrait, ready for further research and display!