Portraits from the first 100 years of photography
These men appear to have come out of the building behind them to pose for an impromptu group photograph. Intriguingly, two of them are holding tools of their trade, whatever that was. One of those men is also holding a round object with the year 1875 written on it, along with the number 60, the... Continue Reading →
I bought this carte-de-visite from a dealer in Kettering, England. My guess would be that it belonged originally to a family associated with a British diplomatic mission in the Middle East or North Africa. India is also a possibility.
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 postcard was made by Walter Scott of Bradford, West Yorkshire. I count 33 men and 27 women in the group, with a range of ages. Two men are wearing clerical collars. Potted plants can be seen in the building. People are looking out through the bay windows on either side of the central window. ... Continue Reading →
This CDV was made by George C. Hunter of Chebanse, a small town just south of Chicago. A note on the back says, "Lovingly, Kittie. Nov 9th, 1882." According to U.S. Census data found on the Wikipedia page of Chebanse, in 1880 the village had a population of 723. In 1890 the population had dropped... Continue Reading →
I had assumed the clothing in this photo was Scottish, but someone said the design of the bottom of the dress looks more Irish. Any insights from visitors would be appreciated! This bonnie lass was photographed by O. Frank Stafford in Minneapolis. According to the Minnesota Historical Society's "Directory of Minnesota Photographers," his studio was... Continue Reading →
This photograph was taken in Watertown, New York, a few miles from Lake Ontario and only 31 miles from the Canadian border. The name of the studio at the bottom of the cabinet card looks like "Gray," but I have yet to find a record of a photographer there by that name. I don't know... Continue Reading →
This postcard is well-traveled. I bought it online from someone in Estonia, who told me he had taken it from an album he had bought on a trip to Romania. The message on the back of the postcard is written in German, so he assumed the photo had been sent from Germany to relatives in... Continue Reading →
This is the second photo on this blog showing a family in the UK in their garden with rackets. Well, only one racket, but they seem to be having plenty of fun, anyway. This is a cabinet card, while the photo I uploaded a month ago was a smaller carte-de-visite (Tennis and tea in Hampshire,... Continue Reading →
The title of this post is a little presumptuous, but the elegant dress worn by the young woman in this portrait reminds me of snowflakes on a deep winter's night in New England. She's also wearing an engagement ring, but the focus isn't clear enough to see it in detail. Northampton is home to Smith... Continue Reading →
This cabinet card portrait came from the same antique photo dealer in Arkansas that the ladies in boater hats did in the previous post. An inscription on the back says simply, "Judge Stephen Reaves." According to his obituary and other articles published at the time of his death, Stephen Reaves (1816-1905) practiced law in... 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!
Tokens of Companionship 
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