Portraits from the first 100 years of photography
This view of women and girls working was captured by the German-Italian photographer Alfredo Noack (1833-1895). Born August Alfred Noack in Dresden in 1833, he moved to Italy in his early twenties, first living in Rome (1856-1860) and then moving to Genoa, where he opened a photography studio. He lived in Genoa for the rest... Continue Reading →
The photo above was taken in Boston, Massachusetts, during the First World War. A press snipe on the back provides some information: This is a typical load of supplies sent weekly by the American Fund for French Wounded, 304-306 Boylston Street to the French military hospitals. The men seem to be in good spirits: ... Continue Reading →
On this final day of Women's History Month, I thought it might be fun to turn to the realm of sport. This photograph came to me from Wales. It has nothing written or printed on it. Update, April 4: This morning I came across another copy of this image on a blog post titled Pulling... Continue Reading →
Unlike the mill workers in the previous post, these two seamstresses appear to be posing outdoors, perhaps at a seasonal or mobile studio. The photographer, Håkon Steinsheim (1860-1933), was based in the village of Oppdal, Norway. (Historically, the name of the town was sometimes spelled Opdal.) The photo (cabinet card) came to me from Wisconsin.... Continue Reading →
This photograph has nothing written or printed on it to suggest where it might have been taken. It came to me from Maine, so it may have originated there or in another northeastern state. The setting appears to be a textile mill. My guess for a time period would be 1895-1905. The surface of the... Continue Reading →
This boudoir card photograph came to me from Maine. The boudoir card format appeared in the mid-1880s as a slightly larger and more expensive alternative to cabinet cards. The larger size was particularly suitable for group portraits.* This one was taken in the town of Pirmasens, Germany, near the border with France. The studio belonged... Continue Reading →
The unidentified woman in this photograph is wearing a drop-waist dress and a Marcel Wave hairstyle, hallmarks of the flapper era of the 1920s. The photograph is about the size of a postcard, but was printed on plain photo paper, rather than postcard stock. It came to me from a dealer in Pennsylvania who often sells photos... Continue Reading →
Effie Hegermann-Lindencrone was born in Hillerød, Denmark, on August 27, 1860. This photo of her was taken in July 1879, a month before her nineteenth birthday: The carte-de-visite portrait was made at one of the two studios owned by photographer Lars Dinesen, either in Odense or in Fredericia: A year after the photo was... Continue Reading →
This small tintype portrays an unusual subject for early photography: a standing woman appears poised to brush the hair of a seated woman, who has a comb and other items in her lap. The standing woman is looking down and is slightly out of focus, while the seated woman is looking in the general direction... Continue Reading →
March is Women's History Month in the United States. (International Women's Day isn't widely observed here, although that may be changing.) For the past two years, I've tried to pick out a photograph in March which I thought was especially relevant to the theme of women's history. In 2018 the focus was on education (Caliopians). ... Continue Reading →
I don't know what the proper administrative term would be for this group, but they must have worked together as a team. Someone wrote Devonshire Hospital on the back of the postcard, but nothing else. If anyone sees any clues about when the photo might have been taken, please leave a comment. Devonshire Hospital closed... Continue Reading →
The woman in this carte-de-visite portrait isn't identified anywhere on the photo. When I bought it last year, I never expected to learn her identity. Three weeks ago, while browsing the website of Britain's Royal Collection Trust, I noticed a woman who looked very familiar. The first thing that drew my attention was her shawl,... Continue Reading →
Tokens of Companionship 
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