Portraits from the first 100 years of photography
This cabinet card was listed for sale in England without any information, and only after receiving it did I see "F DOWNER WATFORD" in the lower right corner of the image. Frederick Downer (1840-1919) was the first commercial photographer in Watford, which is 15 miles (24 km) northwest of central London. Mandolin ensembles and orchestras arose... Continue Reading →
This 19th-century photograph was printed on very thin paper and glued to a stiffer paper mount. At some point the mount was trimmed to the dimensions of a postcard, possibly so that it would fit into an album. The back is blank. I bought it from a dealer in Suffolk, England, who couldn't tell me... Continue Reading →
In the previous post we were in Glasgow, the most populous city in Scotland. Today we're 280 miles (450 km) to the south, in north Wales, near the seaside resort town of Llandudno. The cabinet card photograph above was taken by William Laroche & Sons. William Sylvester Laroche opened his first studio in Llandudno around 1872. ... Continue Reading →
I wish I could tell you who this gentleman was, but I haven't the faintest idea. He looks like an intellectual, rather than a businessman or public figure, because of his plain attire and slightly disheveled hair. For some reason I want him to be involved with writing or publishing, maybe a newspaper editor or... Continue Reading →
This multi-generational portrait was made at Atelier Fritz Tschira in the scenic town of Osterode am Harz. Osterode is at the edge of the Harz mountains, which are the highest in northern Germany. The postcard isn't dated, but my guess would be late 1920s. If anyone has a different guess, based on clothing or hairstyles... Continue Reading →
Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience. --George Washington On February 21, 1906, an unknown photographer created this time capsule of the inside of a fifth-grade classroom. The photo is mounted on a card, on the back of which is a note: "Leighton's First School, Bellefontaine, O." ... Continue Reading →
These college-age women have a determined air about them, as if they're on a mission. They've arranged themselves around a pedestal with a Union Jack flag draped over it, adding a patriotic aspect to the portrait and perhaps suggesting political activism. Were they participants in the women's suffrage movement? What does the ribbon on the... Continue Reading →
This studio portrait is a mystery to me. Like the wedding portrait in the previous post, it came from Texas with no information. The words DEMACHI. SAITO. SEI. are printed below the photograph on the cardboard mount. If anyone knows what they mean, please comment below! Two of the men are wearing hats with red... Continue Reading →
According to information in an article in the St. Cloud Times in July 2015, the town of Richmond, Minnesota, was officially called Torah for nineteen years, from 1890 until 1909. It had been called Richmond informally by locals before that, but when the town was incorporated in 1890, the name Richmond was already in use at... Continue Reading →
This undated postcard was addressed by a man named René to a friend, also named René, who was probably working at the Café Monico in London. The sender is very likely one of the men in the group above. The postcard was printed by the firm of G. W. Gibson in Coldstream, a town in the... Continue Reading →
They must be two sets of twins. The back of this CDV doesn't tell us anything about them, but it does identify the photographer, C. W. Gill. I didn't find anything about Gill online. The Hubbard Block was built on Public Square by Volney Stow Hubbard in 1868, which is about when this photo was... Continue Reading →
The day of the party has arrived. She and her friends have been working on their dresses for weeks. "Let's take pictures!" "I don't know, I have a lot of things left to do. Maybe later." "It'll only take a few minutes to set up the camera. We might be too busy later." "You're right. ... Continue Reading →
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