Portraits from the first 100 years of photography
On the back of this photograph is a handwritten note: Friends of Doris Dinwiddie at St. Terresa [sic] Academia (Early graduates of) I searched online for St. Teresa Academia, but was stumped because there were too many possibilities. So I looked on Ancestry and found family trees containing Doris Cecil Dinwiddie Crawford (1893-1968). A photo of... 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 postcard has no message or information on the back, but it came from a dealer in Pennsylvania who specializes in photographs from Imperial Russia (pre-1917). The empire of the Tsars was truly vast, encompassing areas of northeastern Europe and Central Asia which today are made up of independent nations. It's impossible to say exactly... Continue Reading →
March is Women's History Month in the United States, and I've been thinking about which photographs might best fit the theme. Any consideration of Women's History has to encompass a wide variety of fields, including domestic and family life, education, work outside the home, intellectual and creative achievement, and the social reform movements. All of... Continue Reading →
If you've been following this blog for a while, you may remember a post from last October titled School dog and her charges (UK). I had bought that CDV because the group portrait included a dog posing charmingly with students. Then, after scanning it, I had noticed that one of the girls was of mixed-race... Continue Reading →
This charming little CDV came from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, but has no information on it to confirm its origin. The girls are elegantly dressed and must have come from relatively well-to-do families. After scanning the photo I noticed that one of the girls is of African or mixed-race heritage. I love the fact that the school's... Continue Reading →
This class photo was taken in 1863 or 1864 at the Lutherville Female Seminary in Lutherville, Maryland. The town was founded in 1852 by two Lutheran ministers, John Kurtz and John Morris, and the school was chartered a year later, in 1853. It operated as the Maryland College for Women from 1895 until 1952, when... Continue Reading →
This postcard came from the estate of Hazel Alberts Peterson (1898-1989). The photo was taken in front of the Young Ladies' Hall at Seattle Seminary, a Free Methodist secondary school that was expanding at this time along with the city nearby. Hazel Alberts is the girl in white who is seated on the railing of... Continue Reading →
This postcard came from the estate of Hazel Alberts Peterson (1898-1989). As a girl, Hazel Alberts attended Seattle Seminary, a Free Methodist college preparatory school. College-level classes were introduced in 1910, and in 1915 the school's name was changed to Seattle Pacific College. For more information about Hazel and her family, please see the page... Continue Reading →
This albumen print was made by a photographer identified as L.D. Austin in South Haven, Michigan. The young women appear to be in their late teens, and are grouped around a swing, which could symbolize the carefree days of youth. The sitter at lower left is also holding a long stick ... another relic of... Continue Reading →
This albumen print on cardboard came from the area around Ithaca, New York, but could have originated elsewhere. The children appear to be a few years apart in age, with the oldest standing at the back. Two young women appear slightly older and might be teachers. They sit in the middle row with a little... Continue Reading →
Tokens of Companionship 
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