Portraits from the first 100 years of photography
A note on the back of this studio portrait says either "Harold Winnie" or "Harold & Winnie." While Winnie could be a last name, it's more likely the first name of the girl on the left, who must be Harold's sister. The studio is identified on the mat just below the image: Gordon & Blees. ... Continue Reading →
We can see from this scene that parents have overreacted to teenage behavior since at least the 1850s. A girl and a boy lounge in the grass. A basket of wildflowers lies at the girl's feet. The boy innocently offers her a small bouquet. Meanwhile, the girl's father discovers them and charges through the bushes... 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 →
Here's another occupational carte-de-visite from England. It looks like an early one, maybe early 1870s. At the mouth of the River Tyne on the North Sea, South Shields was a major shipbuilding center from the 1850s onward. The photo was taken in an industrial setting, possibly a shipyard, by a photographer from the studio of... Continue Reading →
This carte-de-visite may have been made at High Brooms Brick and Tile Company, founded in 1885 in Southborough, Kent, England. It's hard to tell what the father is sitting on, but we can see he's wearing gaiters of some sort below the knees, probably to keep his legs dry or clean. The photographer is identified on... Continue Reading →
Bostonia doesn't seem to exist anymore, if it ever really did. A stamp on the mat says "Halliday's Studio, Bostonia, ND." There was a post office on a farm there from 1908 to 1913, and Halliday's studio was probably also in a home, although the closest Halliday families I found in Census records were several... Continue Reading →
It was relatively rare for women in Britain and North America to set up their own commercial studios in the nineteenth century. In Scandinavia, in contrast, women seem to have embraced the business of photography from the earliest days and to have enjoyed commercial success on a par with their male counterparts. This topic has... Continue Reading →
This carte-de-visite was made by Jacob Lundbergh (1828-1904) in Stockholm. According to his Swedish Wikipedia page, he worked as a professional photographer for eleven years (1861-1872), becoming famous for his portraits of actors, singers and other cultural figures. His brother, Bernhard Lundbergh, was an opera singer with the Royal Theater.
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: Detail image added below. Galicia was a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire created from land taken from Poland during the First Partition of Poland in 1772. It ceased to exist as an administrative entity after the First World War with the dismantling of Austria-Hungary. Most of the territory was incorporated into the new Republic... Continue Reading →
This enigmatic portrait was made by career photographer Stephen H. Waite (1836-1906). My eyes were first drawn to the large brush in the woman's hand, then quickly moved to the striking brooch which may have served to clasp her beautiful coat. Another fine garment is draped over the chair, possibly a cloak. Was she an... Continue Reading →
Here's another fun cabinet card from the UK. The words "Photo Co-op" are printed below the photo in the lower left corner. I didn't find any reference online to a studio by that name, and the card has no other information on it. The photographer added tiny spots of ink to the eyes of the... Continue Reading →
Tokens of Companionship 
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