Daguerreotype of a Seated Girl, 1850s
Photograph
<p>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 chair and next to a table with one book on it. She looks very serious. People did not smile in early photographs because it took a long time to expose the image. Her cheeks have been tinted as has the fabric draped on the table.</p>
<p>The little girl is wearing a dress, pantalettes, and tied shoes. One style detail of the dress is the two-tiered skirt. At this time wide skirts were in fashion for adult women, and the tiered look gives the child’s skirt more fullness. Although we cannot see her petticoat, it was necessary to help achieve full skirts, even for children. What we can see are the bottom edges of her pantalettes, which are trimmed in ruffled lace.<br /><br />References </p>
<p>Joan Severa, <em>Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900</em>. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.</p>
Whitlock Collection
Donor: Mary C. Whitlock
1850s
Samantha Spiller
URI 1962.31.901
Ambrotype of Mother and Baby, ca. 1860
Photograph
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.<br /><br />References</p>
<p>Joan Severa, <em>Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900</em>. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.</p>
Case text: Littlefield Parsons & Co., Manufacturers of Daguerreotype Cases. <br /><br />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
URI purchase
ca. 1857-1867
Erika Holshoe
URI 1954.99.14
Daguerreotype of a Young Woman, ca. 1845
Photograph
<p>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 complete. Ruffles, shirring, horizontal tucks, or capped oversleeves were seen in the late 1830s and early 1840s. With shrinking sleeves, emphasis shifted to the skirt, which was full and gathered at the waist. The seated woman wears just this, a tight-fitted bodice gathered to a V at the waist. Necklaces with charms were very common, as seen on the figure, as well as the hairstyle parted in the middle.<br /><br />References</p>
<p>Joan Severa, <em>Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900</em>. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.</p>
Donor: Estate of Mrs. John Gardner
ca. 1845
Sydney Hazen
URI 1955.36.79
Daguerreotype of a Young Girl, ca. 1850
Photograph
<p>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 printed dress with pantalettes. The bodice has a fan front and round neckline edged with a white frill. Round necklines were the most common shape in this period. The fan front forms a V-shape that draws attention to the narrow waistline. The narrow waist was attained through tightly laced corsets, to which even young girls were not immune. Softer cotton corsets were used to maintain the fashionable shape of their adult counterparts. The sleeves are fitted to the elbow and her forearms are covered by white lace mitts. According to <em>Dressed for the Photographer</em>, photographs show very young girls wearing mitts.</p>
<p>The girl’s skirt is full, reflecting the wide skirts women wore that necessitated multiple petticoats to maintain their shape. Her skirt is cut short to reveal the pantalettes, an important feature of her outfit because they provide a clue to her age. Pantalettes were worn by girls from the age of five to thirteen. Bodice styles could also give an idea of age since fashionable bodice styles worn by women were imitated in girls’ clothing starting at age eight. Underneath her pantalettes she wears white stockings, and simple lace-up shoes complete her outfit. Her hair is parted and pulled to the back.</p>
<p>References</p>
<p>Joan Severa, <em>Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900</em>. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.</p>
Whitlock Collection
Donor: Mary C. Whitlock
ca. 1845-1855
Zhanique Waite
URI 1962.31.899
Ambrotype of a Seated Woman, 1860s
Photograph
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>References</p>
<p>Joan Severa, <em>Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900</em>. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.</p>
Whitlock Collection
Donor: Mary C. Whitlock
1860s
Madison Mundorff
URI 1962.31.245
Daguerreotype of a Seated Woman, ca. 1850
Photograph
<p>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 restrictive, limiting body movement. Her bodice is loosely fitted and shirred at the waist. The sheen of the fabric suggests that it is silk.</p>
<p>Fashion plates and costume history books show the latest styles for affluent, urban people. This photograph demonstrates what older women might have worn in rural Rhode Island in the 1840s. She has a neck ribbon, possibly velvet, which is the only ornament on her otherwise plain outfit.</p>
<p>References </p>
<p>Joan Severa, <em>Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900</em>. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.</p>
Donor: Estate of Mrs. John Gardner
ca. 1847-1850
Mariela Aguero Barrantes
URI 1955.35.85
Daguerreotype of a Seated Young Woman, 1850s
Photograph
<p>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 sun off of her neck when out of doors. Her hair is parted in the center and is styled up and away from her face as was fashionable in the 1850s. Joan Severa’s <em>Dressed for the Photographer</em> explains that hairstyles like the one shown help to date photographs.</p>
<p>The woman’s sleeves are in the pagoda style, and undersleeves cover her forearms. Open necklines and off-the-shoulder looks were only appropriate to wear for more formal evening styles.</p>
<p>The photograph appears to be retouched as her fingers seem exceptionally long.</p>
<p>References </p>
<p>Joan Severa, <em>Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900</em>. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.</p>
Donor: Mrs. Ira C. Brown
ca. 1850s
Victoria Marano
URI 1960.06.06
Daguerreotype of a Young Couple, 1840s
Photograph
<p>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 in the back. She wears a silk dress that buttons at the front of the bodice. Her bodice appears taut, thanks to the corset beneath. The shawl draped over her left arm obscures her sleeve, although the cuff of an undersleeve is visible. Her bonnet frames her face and is secured with a decorative ribbon.</p>
<p>According to Joan Severa, at this time it was unusual for sitters to wear hats as they often cast a shadow across their faces in the photograph. Fortunately, this is not the case for the image of this couple.<br /><br />The case is embossed paper on wood frame with embossed velvet pad and metal matte</p>
<p>References</p>
<p>Joan Severa, <em>Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900</em>. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.</p>
Donor: Estate of Mrs. John Gardner
1840s
URI 1955.36.84
Ambrotype of a Young Man, 1860s
Photograph
<p>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.</p>
<p>The case is embossed paper glued to wood, with an embossed velvet pad and metal matte. <br /><br />Photo taken in Providence, RI at “Westminster Fine Art Gallery” owned by J. B. Thurston.</p>
<p>References </p>
<p>Joan Severa, <em>Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900</em>. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.</p>
Photo taken in Providence, RI at “Westminster Fine Art Gallery” owned by J. B. Thurston.
Whitlock Collection
Donor: Mary C. Whitlock
early 1860s
Darieliza Polanco
URI 1962.31.903
Daguerreotype of a Little Girl, 1850s
Photograph
<p>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 wearing white stockings and black shoes. Her hair is parted down the middle and ends in ringlets. A chain necklace with a small circular medallion graces her neck. She holds a toy horse in her right hand while her left arm rests on the table. Photography studios typically included props such as side tables, chairs, and columns to help steady the subject during the long exposure time. Artificial rocks or trees combined with painted backdrops were used to simulate outdoor scenes.<br /><br />In front of the table is a portion of a label appearing to read "Jube, Art., 83 Bowery". This information identifies the photographer. Research on the Bowery in New York City during the 1850s reveals information on a photographer, T.S. Jube, whose shop was at 83 Bowery. Also found was the following information on John Prosser Jube (c. 1813-1905): <br /><br />From the Proceedings of the Board of Assistant Alderman, Volume 28, 1846</p>
<p>"John P. Jube, who keeps a shop and store at 83 Bowery, stated that he carries on the business of manufacturing Saddlery Hardware...." <br /><br />Purchased at Exchange, New Orleans, MA (Cape Cod) June 1953</p>
<p>The case is made of embossed paper over wood, with embossed velvet pad and an embossed copper matte.<br /><br />References</p>
<p>Joan Severa, <em>Dressed for the Photographer: Ordinary Americans and Fashion, 1840-1900</em>. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 1995.</p>
T.S. Jube, 83 Bowery
Whitlock Collection
Donor: Mary C. Whitlock
early 1850s
Madison Wallick
URI 1962.99.89