Underneath his jacket, the shirt collar is rounded and adorned with a tie. The tied knot is in style. To complete his outfit, the boy is wearing a simple lace-up pair of ankle-high shoes. Tie shoes became popular in the 1910s as a new style, completing this stylish young man's look. 

References

Felger, Donna H. Boy's Fashions, 1885 to 1905: Chronicle for Costume Historians and Doll Costumers. Cumberland [MD]: Hobby House Press, 1984.

Hill, Daniel Delis. American Menswear: from the Civil War to the Twenty-First Century. Lubbock [TX]: Texas Tech University Press, 2011.

Schroeder, Joseph H., ed. Sears, Roebuck Catalogue 1908 No. 114. Chicago: The Gun Digest Company, 1969.]]>
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 skirt appears to have symmetrical knife pleats.

The woman’s dress has a high neckline with a collar made of white lace. Her sleeves are one of the many variations of open sleeves that were so popular in the 1850s; these necessitated undersleeves, which we see here. The woman parted her hair in the middle and fixed it in sausage curls at the back. She accessorized her outfit with a necklace, a cameo brooch, earrings, rings on her fingers, and a metallic belt buckle.

References

Joan Severa, Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.

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Donor: Mary C. Whitlock]]>

Her dress is decorated around the short sleeves with dark ribbon, perhaps velvet, and an edging of wide lace. Ribbon also decorates the waistband of the loosely-fitting bodice. Polka dots, also known as spotted fabrics, became popular in the 1840s and could be found on printed cottons as well as other more expensive fabrics. This dress could be made from a silk taffeta in which velvet dots have been woven.

The case is made of embossed paper on wood with an embossed velvet pad and metal matte.

References

Joan Severa, Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.

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Donor: Mary C. Whitlock]]>
The sitter wears a typical bodice of the 1850s. The V shaped bretelles extend beyond the natural shoulder line, ending in a point at the narrow waist. The sleeves are the fashionable pagoda style, worn with wide undersleeves. Presumably the skirt is full and gathered at the waist. A white collar and brooch embellish the neckline.

The fabric seen here is probably silk judging by the sheen. The bodice and sleeves are trimmed with velvet ribbons. The sitter wears her hair parted in the middle with curls one on either side.

Purchased at Briar Patch Antiques, Stonington, CT

The case is made from embossed paper on wood with embossed velvet pad and embossed copper matte.  

References

Joan Severa, Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.

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Donor: Mary C. Whitlock]]>
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 coat, either a sack coat or a frock coat, is obscured by his bulky overcoat. During the late 1850s and early 1860s, overcoats were long and loose-fitting with dropped shoulders and wide lapels (Severa 1995: 209). He also wears a tall cylindrical top hat tilted to the side.

The case is embossed paper glued to wood, with an embossed velvet pad and metal matte. 

Photo taken in Providence, RI at “Westminster Fine Art Gallery” owned by J. B. Thurston.

References 

Joan Severa, Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.

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Donor: Mary C. Whitlock]]>
The sitter portrays typical styles of the 1850s, which include fitted bodices, set-in sleeves, dropped shoulder seams, and natural waistlines. These are the same features seen in fashion plates of the early 1850s, specifically the open sleeves known as pagoda sleeves. These were sleeves that widened out just below the elbow. Although the lower arms are not visible, they would have been covered by undersleeves that matched the collar.

The sheen of the fabric implies that it was made of silk. Velvet covered buttons fasten the bodice at the center front, and they decorate the upper sleeve. Velvet had only recently been produced on power looms, but it quickly made its way into fashionable apparel.

The case is made of embossed cardboard with an embossed velvet pad and an embossed copper matte. 

Purchased at auction in Allentown (PA?) 

References 

Joan Severa, Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.

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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 different resins and wooden fibers. The case cover has a design of bunches of grapes and grape leaves. The image is held in an oval preserver made of pressed brass.

The focal point is a seated woman holding an infant wearing a white dress. The woman’s dark colored dress has a large amount of fabric in the skirt suggesting that it is a hoop skirt. The bodice has a high neckline with a detachable white collar and brooch. The dropped shoulder creates a curved shoulder silhouette. The sleeve type is a pagoda style worn with plaid undersleeves. The infant’s dress also has a wide skirt.

The popularity of post-mortem photography during the Victorian Age raises the question about the child in this photograph. Is the child deceased? After all, the mother wears dark clothing, possibly because she is in mourning. Babies and young children who had died recently were sometimes photographed in the arms of their mothers. The eyes were sometimes painted onto the photograph to make the child look alive. The photograph was a way to preserve the memory of the child forever. Post-mortem photography was an inexpensive replacement for the mourning portrait of earlier centuries.

References

Joan Severa, Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.

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L.P. are the sole proprietors and only legal manufacturers of Union Cases, with the embracing riveted hinge. Patented, Oct. 14, 1856 & April 21, 1857]]>
This ambrotype depicts Patience P. Crandall (1794-1886) wearing a striped dress with bishop sleeves and a large white, flat collar (most likely either of lace or a sheer fabric) completed with a cameo brooch. The loose-fitting dress is fashioned with a yoke across the upper torso which continues over the shoulders, into which the fulness of the sleeves is gathered.

Her hair is styled in what can be surmised to be a low bun, a very popular hairstyle at the time which is seen in many other photographic portraits of this era. Other than her dress and hair, we can see that she lacks accessories common for older women to wear in their portraits. The lack of accessories and more showy pieces adorning Crandall may be due to the fact that she came from a very religious family, being the granddaughter of Elder John Crandall, the first Baptist Elder in the American British colonies who was also one of the founders of Westerly, Rhode Island.

The image itself was placed inside a hinged case with a radially symmetrical floral pattern on the exterior. On the inside, a crimson red and lighter red velvet fabric, protects the photograph. 

The subject is posed facing the camera with crossed hands. This relatively simple pose was typical during this era of portrait photography due to the long exposure times photographers needed in order to capture a good, visible image.

References

Beers , J. H. Representative Men and Old Families of Rhode Island: Genealogical Records and Historical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens and of Many of the Old Families, 1908.

Crandall, John Cortland. Elder John Crandall and His Descendants. New Woodstock, N.Y.: The Author, 1949.

Gifford, Paul M. “The Probable Origins and Ancestry of John Crandall, of Westerly, Rhode Island (1618-1676).” Essay. In Rhode Island Roots 32, 4th ed., 32:165–86, 2006.

Lina. “1840s And 1850s Hairstyles.” Sew Historically, February 21, 2019. https://www.sewhistorically.com/1840s-and-1850s-hairstyles/.

Lisson, Lisa. “How to Identify 5 Types of Old Photographs.” Are You My Cousin?, December 21, 2021. https://lisalisson.com/5-types-of-old-photographs/.

“Patience Crandall.” Genealogy. Accessed November 29, 2022.https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Patience_Crandall_%281%29.

“Poses in Photos of the 1800s.” Family Tree, March 19, 2014.https://www.familytree.com/blog/poses-in-photos-of-the-1800s/.

Severa, Joan L. “The 1840s.” Essay. In Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashions, 1840-1899, 1-84. Kent (Ohio): Kent State University Press, 1995.

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Sarah Plympton (Mrs.)]]>
This ambrotype is enclosed in a miniature book measuring only three by four inches. To prevent early photographs from deteriorating, photographers came up with this method of encasing the image that kept them out of direct sunlight and regulated against high temperatures.

The woman wears a silk dress decorated with satin and moire stripes. The dress has full sleeves with undersleeves that taper down around the wrists with added lace and white trim on the cuff. Around the neckline is a hand- embroidered collar with a miniature brooch at the center.

The individual is sitting down in a chair allowing her skirt to spread out. Over the course of the century women's skirts became fuller with the help of petticoats and hoops. The waistline of appears to be right above the natural waist.

Hair could be styled in a few very popular different ways, using the natural color hair. As seen in the image, the sitter’s dark-colored hair is arranged in an elegant chignon style also known as a loop style over the ears. 

References

Clark, Gary. Dating Ambrotype Photographs, http://www.phototree.com/id_amb.htm.

Heichelbech, Rose. “The Evolution of Ladies' Hemlines over the Past 2 Centuries.” Dusty Old Thing, 3 May 2021, https://dustyoldthing.com/evolution-of-ladies-hemlines/.

Lisa Lisson. “How to Identify 5 Types of Old Photographs.” Are You My Cousin?, 21 Dec. 2021, https://lisalisson.com/5-types-of-old-photographs/.

“Milestones in Photography -- National Geographic.” Photography, National Geographic, 3 May 2021, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/milestones-photography#:~:text=World's %20First%20Photograph-,Centuries%20of%20advances%20in%20chemistry%20and%20optics%2C%20including%20the%20invention,at%20his%20family's%20country%20home.

Moore, Author Olivia. “1800s Hairstyles: Inspiration & Style Guide.” You Probably Need a Haircut, 20 Aug. 2022, https://youprobablyneedahaircut.com/1800s-hairstyles/.

Plante, Amy. “The History of Cameo Jewelry.” Market Square Jewelers, Market Square Jewelers, 19 Feb. 2019, https://www.marketsquarejewelers.com/blogs/msj-handbook/the-history-of-cameo-jewelry.

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This is a ambrotype of young girl and her mother dating from the late 1840s to the early 1850s. Although the donor record indicated that this was an image of herself and her mother, the dates do not correspond. This may, in fact, be a photograph of her mother and grandmother.

The young girl is wearing a natural waist dress with ¾ length sleeves. Her hair is cut to just above the shoulders and pulled back in a ribbon. Her sleeves are not like the popular cap style most children wore at this time. The bottom of her skirt is not visible in the photo, but a dress that fell to below the knees was common for young girls at this time.

Her mother is wearing a gown with an under blouse, a lace collar, and a corset to give her waist form. The sleeves have layered epaulettes just below the shoulders and flare out near the wrist, similar to a pagoda sleeve. The gown has a full skirt, but not a cage crinoline or hoop skirt look, so she wore petticoats underneath. The fabric of the dress has gathers and pleats at the waistline which connect to the v-shaped corset worn under the bust. This boned bodice was often worn to give the appearance of a tiny waist.

Her hair is parted down the middle and pulled back behind her head, which was a very popular styling option for women in this decade. This black-and-white photo had pink blush added to her cheeks to give a more realistic effect. Gold ink is used to make the brooch at her neck, earrings and rings more pronounced and shiny.

References

Alexanders. “Identifying Old Photos by Clothing: 1840s -1850s.” MyCanvas, 3 Oct. 2018. https://mycanvasblog.com/identifying-old-photos-clothing-1840s-1850s/.

Hutton, Emily. “Complete Guide to Different Types of Antique Photographs.” Image Restoration Center, 18 Sept. 2022, https://imagerestorationcenter.com/types-of-antique-photographs/.

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