Portraits from the first 100 years of photography
This large-format photograph came to me from the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, it has nothing written on it and I haven't identified anyone in it. Hanging high on the wall is a shield with a crown on it. Would the crown indicate a royal household? I've brightened it below to make it a little easier to... Continue Reading →
I'm guessing they're siblings, but I can't say for sure. This early cabinet card photo came from a collection of musical ephemera in Boston, Massachusetts. (Two other posts featuring photos from the same collection are Music and baseball in the forest and "Waldfreunde" Mandolin Orchestra (1922).) Do their outfits suggest any particular place of origin? Despite... 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 →
My guess would be that the photo on this postcard was taken in Eastern Europe, possibly in the Carpathian mountains. The Carpathians stretch from Czechia down through parts of Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine and Romania, with Romania containing just over half the range (51%). At first glance the buildings seem to be in some disrepair,... Continue Reading →
Each cyclist in this group is holding the handlebars of the person on either side. I wonder if they stayed upright in the end? The photo is glued to a stiff piece of paper with no information about the date, place or photographer. The only clues are initials below each rider, which suggest that several... Continue Reading →
Tokens of Companionship 
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