Browse Items (83 total)

The daguerreotype was invented by Louis-Jacques-Mande Daguerre and was used primarily for portraits and almost all were put into small cases for protection. Unfortunately, this image of a young girl is missing the cover. The girl is sitting in a…

The ambrotype was invented in England by William Henry Fox Talbot, but not perfected until 1854 by James A. Cutting. This ambrotype is held in a Union Case, patented on October 14, 1856 and on April 21, 1857. Union cases were made of a “union” of…

This woman wears a dark-colored dress with long, closely-fitted sleeves with ruffles above the elbow. These sleeves are a transition from the uncommonly large balloon-like ones of the 1830s, which began deflating in 1837. By 1840, the transition was…

The faded subject of this photograph is a young girl. At the time, girls generally wore the same styles as adult women, with the differences being in skirt length and one or two clothing items marking their youth. This girl’s outfit consists of a…

During the crinoline period, bodices fitted closely to the waist, from which the skirt widened into a round or dome shape. Waistlines at this time, during the late 1850s, had evenly distributed gathers or pleats. Looking closely at the photo, her…

This photograph shows an older woman seated and resting her arm on a table with four books.  She is wearing a dark-colored day dress with bishop sleeves, which are gathered into narrow cuffs at each wrist. Bodices at this time were V-shaped and…

The woman posing in the photograph is fashionably dressed for a daytime outing. She wears a bonnet and a pair of fingerless lace gloves. Her bonnet ties under the chin with a long, draping bow. The bonnet has a bavolet which functioned to keep the…

This young couple is truly “dressed for the photographer.” He wears a frock coat, black waistcoat, and silk top hat set at a slant. His white neck tie is either a skillfully tied white cravat, or a pre-formed necktie known as a “stock” that fastened…

This young man wears many items of clothing: a shirt, waistcoat, coat, and overcoat with a pair of trousers. The shirt exhibits a low collar and is secured with a small striped tie. His plaid waistcoat is buttoned high and has a shawl collar. The…

In this daguerreotype, a little girl of five or six years wears a light pink dress with a wide stripe around the lower part of the skirt. It has a wide neckline and short sleeves. Although the photograph has degraded in sections, she appears to be…