Gravestone Portraits of Military Men

Caroline Bigelow
Dec 25, 2025
1 min read

Gravestone portraits in the 18th and early 19th centuries were not generally intended to be an exact likeness of the deceased. Their function was to demonstrate to the viewer the taste and status of the deceased. They were not at all common until the 1750s.

All hale and healthy men in New England between the ages of 16 and 60 were required to be in the local militia company. There was no standing army in the colonial era, and men were expected to be ready to defend their community from any threat. The leader of the militia was chosen by the men themselves, and he was usually part of a prominent family.