Portraits from the first 100 years of photography
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 →
The family in this photograph seems to be enjoying ample privacy and personal space at their secluded cottage. I searched online for pictures of old houses in the area around Forres, a town in northern Scotland, but didn't see one that looked exactly like this one. Maybe the house still stands, and maybe someone visiting... Continue Reading →
This cabinet card portrait was made at the studio of Sweet & Kinloch in Rothesay, on the Isle of Bute ("N.B." refers to North Britain). A genealogy of the Sweet Family in the West of Scotland identifies one of the studio owners as Charles Sweet (1864-1945). Born in Glasgow, Charles opened his studio in Rothesay in... Continue Reading →
The first thing I noticed about this class photo was how stern all the boys look. That isn't exactly normal for a group of 29 little boys. Then I realized that no one is blinking or fidgeting, which is pretty amazing. Whatever the photographer said to them, it definitely got their attention. Another striking thing about... 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 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 →
I had never heard of Jean Ingelow before I saw this carte-de-visite, but her pose and expression charmed me. It was made by the studio of Elliott & Fry in London, where she lived. The daughter of an English banker father and a Scottish mother, she was the oldest of ten children. Jean Ingelow (1820-1897)... 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 →
These postcards were acquired by a British or American sailor during the First World War. They were probably made available to the men as keepsakes of their service. In the image above, a line of sailors is visible in the distance, probably on a brief leave to sightsee. The snowy hills on the island below... Continue Reading →
This postcard was made from an earlier portrait of William Brodie, an itinerant Scottish performer who called himself Heather Jock. Born in Paisley in 1802, he entertained village crowds into his seventies. His songs and dances were especially popular with children. In The Saturday Review (London) of Jan. 30, 1897, R. B. Cunningham Grahame wrote: So... Continue Reading →
Tokens of Companionship 
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