At the thrift was this picture, measuring 14” x 16”, of a soldier. It looks to be heavily retouched and is on thick board. The only writing is the date, 1902, on the back. So, down the rabbit hole I went. My best, educated guess, is that the man is French and belongs to a chasseurs alpins (“Alpine Hunters”) unit. Formed in 1888, the chasseurs alpins are the French Army's mountain infantry, specifically trained to operate in mountainous terrain.
My guesswork is based on a few things. The first is the tunic, which bears a resemblance to the French Army Modèle 1893 jacket. This one looks to have four front pockets, evidenced only by the flaps. Some searching shows the pocket count tended to vary but the overall cut was the same. It has the nine buttons as typical for the type. Now, chasseurs alpins enlisted jackets tended to have a broad lapel collar while officers usually had the collar as seen here. Of course, it is possible that this soldier had a jacket with a smaller lapel that could be upturned and closed at the throat. Now, the most telling evidence is the chevrons on the sleeves. They are dead ringers for the enlisted rank chevrons used by the chasseurs alpins. Although hard to see, this soldier has two stripes per sleeve, giving him the rank of “caporal” or Lance corporal. The final item that swayed my opinion is the mustache, a facial hair fashion readily worn by chasseurs alpins soldiers at the time.
The visible handle and hilt of the bayonet appears to be that used with the French Berthier Modèle 1982 rifle.
