That was the position they were INSTRUCTED to assume, either by the photographer, or by their immediate superior officers. +5

They were holding onto their soldering irons. ;-)

It was in imitation of Napleon. If the Great Man himself did it, there must be a good reason.

"19th Century Portrait Custom In most of the 19th century (maybe earlier) it was customary for the subject of a portrait photograph or painting to place one hand (usually the right hand) inside of an open coat or shirt, concealing the hand from the picture. Does anyone know the reason for this or how the custom originated? --69.1.26.166 01:17, 27 July 2006 (UTC) I'm not sure if this was the origin of this custom, but the person best known for doing this was probably Napoleon I of France (Napoleon Bonaparte). A quick Google search seems to indicate this was due to some kind of stomach complaint. It's possible that this pose was adopted by military types in the 19th century in deference to Napoleon's military prowess. --Canley 03:39, 27 July 2006 (UTC) I don't really know anything about the subject, but this page, discussing Napoleon in particular, seems to be fairly well referenced. It says that the custom existed before Napeoleon, possibly as a revival of something going as far back as the ancient Greeks. It doesn't give any explanation as to why it first appeared, however. --Vardion 06:56, 27 July 2006 (UTC) I don't know how germane it is (taking Vardion's page as true), but Roman sculptures and portraits of noble Romans would have the hand on the breast to indicate oratory being given. It was a "noble" pose, as that hand was in and on the toga, which by itself indicated wealth. Only men of rank got the toga, and Cicero, among others, was often portrayed with the hand across in mid speech. Geogre 11:52, 27 July 2006 (UTC) One example of a modern soldier doing this pose before Napoleon made it famous is this portrait of George Washington from 1772. As a young man, Washington's military heroes were guys like Frederick the Great—I wonder if there's a portrait of Frederick with this pose? After Napoleon, William Tecumseh Sherman was notably depicted striking the pose. --Kevin Myers | (complaint dept.) 02:23, 28 July 2006 (UTC) George S. Patton struck the pose, too, according to his biopic. Then again, he may have believed that he had been Frederick the Great. Geogre 12:45, 28 July 2006 (UTC)" Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk_archive/Humanities/2006_July_27

I'd guess that it was some sort of 'pledge position.' After all that right hand IS over their hearts, eh?