Portraits from the first 100 years of photography
This portrait of two friends was probably made in late imperial Russia (1910-1917). The only thing written on the back is a pair of names, which look to me like Tyosha and Marusya (Tеща и Маруся). I'm not sure about the name Tyosha, as I haven't encountered it before: The girls are both dressed... Continue Reading →
This postcard has a message on the back in Norwegian. At the top of the message is the name of a town, "Thief River Falls Minn," followed by numbers which may be "17/12." They could mean 17 December or December 1917. This type of photo paper was manufactured between 1904 and 1918. A very kind... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
One hundred and fifty-four years ago this week, seven friends sat for a portrait at Nathaniel L. Merrill's Photographic Gallery in Springfield, Vermont. They look young enough to be in high school, or perhaps recent graduates. The carte-de-visite photo has a revenue stamp on the back, affixed and cancelled by the photographer on December 22,... Continue Reading →
This portrait was probably taken in the 1920s (see comment by my dream walden below). The sitters aren't identified. They're dressed identically, but I don't know if their clothing can tell us anything about them. A stamp on the mat below the photo tells us the studio belonged to a photographer named Hanson: The... Continue Reading →
This small snapshot came from England, but with no information about who's in it or where it was taken. Notice the can of Shell gas on the running board below. These gals were prepared. The camper (called a caravan in the UK) is a Car Cruiser model from the 1920s. You can see a... Continue Reading →
These ladies look like they had fun together. They have a cute car, too. The snapshot was for sale in Pennsylvania, but could have been taken anywhere.
These two young men may have been students at a military academy or members of a cadet corps, which was another type of officer-training program. They're both wearing a military-style tunic with no insignia. It's also possible the tunic was part of a uniform at an educational institution not connected to the military. I'll update... Continue Reading →
UPDATE: Albin Lindall is most likely the man standing at right. I found a passport photo of him on Ancestry.com that was taken some years later, when he was 29. Albin Lothard Lindall was born in Parkers Prairie in 1890, and the passport was issued in 1919, when he was a doctor and a lieutenant... Continue Reading →
This small cabinet photo came from Arkansas but has no information on it. The three women on the left might be sisters. These ladies look like they should be singing on a stage!
In this photo the coworkers from the previous post have been joined by four more men. The man at far right may be an owner or manager. The four women who stood arm-in-arm in the previous photo are now seated together in front. Here you can see the photo in high resolution:
This photograph shows a group of coworkers at an unidentified location. A man at lower right is conspicuously holding what appears to be a screwdriver. The man at far left is wearing an apron with something dark on it, perhaps oil or ink. The man next to him is holding a pencil. Between them a... Continue Reading →
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