Portraits from the first 100 years of photography
With the Winter Olympics in full swing, I thought it might be fun to share this carte-de-visite portrait of a young man holding a pair of ice skates in Uppsala, Sweden. Nineteenth-century images of people dressed specifically for winter sports are relatively rare. Because of the limitations of early cameras and photographic processes, such portraits... Continue Reading →
The portrait above is an ambrotype, or photograph on glass, by an unknown photographer. Ambrotypes were introduced in the United States in the early 1850s and remained popular for about a decade. They were simpler and less costly to produce than daguerreotypes. Eventually they were replaced by tintypes and albumen paper prints (such as the... Continue Reading →
Along the bottom of this carte-de-visite is a handwritten inscription: Oh! A very shy young Quakeress am I And they call me Pretty little Ruth When I first published this post, I speculated that these lines might have come from a play, and that the young woman in the photograph might have been wearing a... Continue Reading →
The man in this carte-de-visite portrait isn't identified. Why does he have a blanket wrapped around him? He seems to be pointing at it: The photographer, Thomas T. Sweeny (1831-1891), worked in Cleveland, Ohio, throughout his life. Although he was active for about three decades, information about him is scarce online. Census records indicate... Continue Reading →
The young woman above is wearing a skirt that matches the flag behind her. She's also wearing ribbons on her shoulders, bodice and waist. But which flag is it? From 1807 until 1953, the flag of Wales was white with a red dragon at the center. The cabinet card was made by Alfred Betts (1829-1890)... Continue Reading →
This cabinet card photograph is the first image I've shared from Australia. It was printed at the Anson Brothers studio in Hobart, Tasmania, which was in operation from 1878 to 1891. Founded by brothers Joshua, Henry Joseph and Richard Edwin Anson, the studio became known for views of Tasmanian scenery, which received medals at the... Continue Reading →
This cabinet card portrait was made at a studio in the port city of New Bedford, Massachusetts. The studio belonged to a man named John O'Neil. Google didn't turn up any information about Mr. O'Neil, so I looked at census records on Ancestry. In the 1880 U.S. Census, I found a John E. O'Neil, age... Continue Reading →
This undated cabinet card portrait was taken in the ancient shipping town of Gravesend, Kent, England. Gravesend is on the south bank of the Thames Estuary, about 21 miles (35 km) from central London. The photograph was taken at the studio of Frederick Charles Gould, who became known for images he captured of the many... Continue Reading →
The young man in this carte-de-visite portrait is wearing a military-style tunic with an "F" on the collar. The photograph was taken at the studio of Fredrique Holmstedt in Vadstena, Sweden. I had difficulty finding information online about Fredrique. Unable to read the handwritten dedication in Swedish in the upper left corner, I turned to... Continue Reading →
I had hoped to identify the dignified woman who sat for this portrait at the Bombay Photographic Company in the late 1890s or early 1900s, but so far I haven't had any luck. The photographer, S. Hormusji, is also a bit of a mystery, at least as far as online sources go. His first name... Continue Reading →
This carte-de-visite has me stumped. I assumed the girl in the image would be easy to identify, but so far that hasn't been the case. At first I thought she was holding an oar, but a rower I contacted told me it was a paddle. Well, that's a start! Actually, I think the most interesting... Continue Reading →
The young man in this small snapshot is wearing a military tunic with no insignia. He may have been serving as a musician in the Imperial Japanese Army. The photo is blank on the back, so it's hard to say when it was taken, but I'd guess it was printed in the 1930s. At the... Continue Reading →
Tokens of Companionship 
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