This dog tag was worn during World War I by James Canny, a soldier in the 69th New York Regiment.

Beginning with his capture near Fredericksburg, Virginia, on May 5, 1864, during the Civil War's deadly Battle of the Wilderness, Lieutenant William Henry Shelton of the 1st Regiment New York Light Artillery wore this shell jacket across ten months of imprisonments and escapes in Georgia and South Carolina. He journeyed through rivers and snow—slaves and sympathetic southerners supplied food and shelter—before finally arriving at the 2nd Ohio Heavy Artillery’s outpost in Loudon, Tennessee. The jacket has been preserved in the same condition it was in at the end of the war, coated in grime and missing many of its brass buttons. Shelton later moved to New York City, where he worked as a writer and artist. He detailed his adventures for The Century magazine in 1890, depicting himself wearing the jacket in his accompanying illustrations.

Women who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II were known by the acronym "WAVES" (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). Other parts of the WAVES uniform were also given by the donor.

Women who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II were known by the acronym "WAVES" (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). According to the accessions records, this item was worn by an ensign in the WAVES corps. Other parts of the uniform were also given by the donor.

In the wake of Pearl Harbor, New York mobilized for war, and the New-York Historical Society was no exception. As the city braced for possible enemy attack, the New-York Historical Society took precautions to protect the collection as its staff members departed for the Armed Forces and defense factories. Nine New-York Historical Society staff members saw active duty during WWII. H. Maxson Holloway served in the Navy. Following the war, some of these men, such as Holloway, donated their uniforms to the museum. Other parts of this uniform are also in the N-YHS Collection.