I completely made up the title of this post, so it probably isn’t true at all, but it sounds like something you’d hear in an Irish ballad.
This cabinet card portrait was made at the Lafayette studio in Dublin, founded by James Lafayette and his three brothers in 1880. Advertising on the back lists medals won up to 1887, so the photo was probably taken shortly after that. The studio is still in operation today.
That’s it for this year (my first full year of blogging). It was really fun, and I have many more photos to share with you next year. Thanks for reading, everyone! See you in 2019!
Till next year!
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I look forward to next year. Thoroughly enjoy your site.
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Thank you! I’m also glad to have found yours! You may or may not know this, but everyone in Vermont goes to Maine on vacation.
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If I didn’t already live here, I would come here on vacation too.
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When I was growing up In Enosburg Falls, Old Orchard Beach was the Maine vacation spot of choice.
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Congratulations on your first full year of blogging, Brad! (And here I thought you were a seasoned veteran.)
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I just passed a year and eight months. It doesn’t feel like very long, though!
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I hope you’ll keep at it for years to come. You’ve got a winner here!
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Thanks so much, Liz! It does take time. I’ve settled into a comfortable rhythm of one post per week, but if I can’t sustain that, I’ll just post less often. I’ve really been prioritizing blogging (along with reading other blogs) for the past year and a half.
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I love this photo.
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I do, too. A photo won’t break your heart, so it’s safe to love it. 😉
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Beautiful photo!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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Thanks so much! I hope you have a wonderful New Year!
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Is it weird that I find them handsome, especially the one on the left? And it’s cool that the studio is still in operation today, such a long history. On a separate topic, it reminds me that there are studios where you can take photos and they’ll make it look historical. I guess people could probably tell that it’s just an enactment especially someone with a trained eye like you, but if you ever thought of changing your profile picture, it’s something you can consider 😝
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That’s a great suggestion for a profile photo! I need to re-do my About page. I’ve only tweaked it once in a year and a half. I wanted it to be impersonal, but I no longer think that’s a good thing. Readers like to know something about the person they’re interacting with. Not a photo necessarily, but something personal. It makes the experience more meaningful. When I started this, I didn’t realize how interactive blogging can be! I had only seen a few blogs, and they didn’t have many comments. Now I know that comments make blogging a lot more rewarding.
About the girls being handsome, do you mean attractive in a masculine sort of way? Short hair was relatively uncommon in the 1800s, but it wasn’t unheard-of. Certainly their dresses are very feminine. I wonder if short hair was the style of the time in Dublin, or if their choice was unusual.
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Yes, I thought they had a handsome boyish look, but their costumes and your title told me otherwise, it could be the hair, I’m not sure but it did confuse me for a while. 😅
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Another nice photo, Brad, congratulations on your full calendar year!
I like the composition of this one, the way each is looking slightly away, as if unaware they are being looked at. I also like the window-cutout prop they are posed next to. It looks as if they were in a garden full of ruins, with ivy winding its way up the remaining supports, and across the low wall the girl on the right sits on.
As for short versus long hair, I think the jury is out. The one on the right looks very pomaded and could be hiding a bun, and the one on the left’s hair looks very full as if bunched behind her head.
Their age and relationship is a mystery to me. I would guess early twenties, sisters or good friends. The one on the left appears more gentle and demure and the one on the right more severe, but i expect the serious expressions you often see in these old photos were easier to maintain unflinchingly. Still, they seem to often hide the most attractive features of these poor victims of prolonged sittings. But at least they do not hide her beautiful hands and her rings, which may or may not indicate her marital status. 😊
Finally my first reaction to this photo was “Ouch!” Those corsets look tight! Happy New Year!
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I had the same reaction to the tight corsets. I don’t know how the young woman on the right could breathe.
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Terrific analysis, Andrea! I wasn’t sure about their hair, so it’s very helpful to hear your impressions. (“Pomaded” isn’t a word one hears often, but it seems appropriate.) The gal on the left looks a little older to me, and she seems more relaxed. There may even be a hint of a smile. I find it curious that the gal on the right isn’t looking at the camera. I love the faux window prop and ivy, but she may have thought it a bit much!
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I think their relatively severe expressions might be due to those tight corsets. I can imagine both of them thinking, “How long will it be until I can get out of this thing?” Neither looks particularly pleased with the photographer.
Happy New Year to you, and congrats on your new milestone. I’m certainly looking forward to enjoying your posts in 2019.
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Thanks so much, Linda! I’m enjoying both your blogs. Out of curiosity, is your last name Finnish? A couple of my photos have connections to Finland, although neither one originated there.
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Actually, it’s truncated German. The story I’m told is that when the early Leinens migrated from Germany, they were actually named Leinenkugel, but dropped part of the name to seem more American. Leinenkugel still is well-known in the upper midwest, thanks to the brewery that bears the name. I highly recommend their summer shandies.
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I’ve had Leinenkugel summer shandies and they’re very good! Germany was my second guess for your name. A German name in my family tree which I know nothing about is Lindenbolt. If you wanted to make an alias by combining your first and last names, it could be “Linden.” 😀
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The art on the back is as beautiful as the photograph itself. Congratulations on the full year mark! You have a wonderful and friendly site. Happy New Year Brad ⭐️
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Thank you, kind poet! I can’t wait to ask, did anyone find your Nativity tray?
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😊! Yes! No puppies this year but the birds sure were happy for Christmas! Thank you for asking. 🐶
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P. S. Thank you for finding and following amhs. Very kind of you 🌷
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Aww, that’s great that the birds found the tray. They don’t miss much! And it’s probably just as well that you didn’t end up with another pup (heh heh). I’m very glad to have found amhs, and sorry not to have done so sooner. Have a wonderful New Year!
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Happy New year, Brad! I wish to see more of your pictures and to read more of your stories! Be healthy and happy!
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Thank you, Alena, and Happy New Year to you! Stay curious and keep taking pictures! 🙂
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Thank you, Brad!
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Great photo and I agree with others about the corsets… the one on the right makes me think she’s got to have stopped breathing for the duration of the photo!
Congrats on your first year of blogging. It does pass by quite quickly. I forgot to celebrate my blog’s first year and in the spring it’ll be two years, so… maybe I’ll do something then.
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Thanks, Val! April will be two years for me. I didn’t realize you started yours about the same time. It wasn’t your first rodeo, though. 😉
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Haha, no – definitely not my first rodeo! 😉 And I’ve another blog planned (not the one I was going to do, either.) I hope to open that in the next few weeks.
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Congratulations on your first full year of blogging! I will look forward to visiting you in 2019!
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Thanks so much! 🙂
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You’re a new-ish blogger? No way! I thought you’d been blogging for years, because you’re so skilled.
Happy 2019 to you and yours!
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That’s so nice of you, thank you! When I started, I hadn’t seen many other blogs yet, so I was mostly winging it. (I have some background in art history, which helped.) Since then I’ve seen many amazing blogs–including yours–which inspire me to think about making changes. I’m happy with it for now, though. Happy 2019 to you, too!
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There’s some serious bedroom eyes going on there.
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Those Irish eyes could melt your heart. 😉
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I’m just now discovering your blog but am delighted to sign on and follow for the coming year!!
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Thank you!!! I’ve only begun to explore your site. I’ll do it a little at a time, so that I can return each time with fresh eyes.
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What an interesting and elaborate backing to the photo. It definitely helps you pinpoint the year.
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The Lafayette brothers wanted the world to know about their accomplishments. 😀
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As well they should
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