We’ll take a cup of kindness yet

This carte-de-visite photo has no information on it about who took it or where. I found it in Massachusetts, but assume it must have originated in Europe.  In the 1860s and 1870s, European photographers began employing young people from their communities to dress in national costumes and pose against studio backdrops designed to represent local... Continue Reading →

“Pretty little Ruth”

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 →

Man with blanket in Cleveland by Thomas T. Sweeny

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 →

Young roller skater in Calcutta

If only we knew her story!  Alas, she isn't identified.  Her carte-de-visite was made by John Bowles Newman, whose studio was at 5, Old Court House Street, Calcutta (Kolkata).  The only information I found online about Mr. Newman was that he filed a petition of insolvency in 1879.  It always makes me sad to read... Continue Reading →

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