Ambrotype of a Serious Little Girl, 1850s
Subject
Photograph
Title
Ambrotype of a Serious Little Girl, 1850s
Date
ca. 1850
Description
This little girl, with a serious scowl on her face, wears a dress and hairstyle fashionable during the late 1850s. The wide neckline, with a necklace adornment, was a common feature for dresses worn by both girls and boys. The hair parted in the center indicates that this is a girl (Severa 1995: 31).
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.
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.
Source
Whitlock Collection
Donor: Mary C. Whitlock
Donor: Mary C. Whitlock
Identifier
URI 1962.31.900
Contributor
Meg Goulart
Creator
Mayo's Photography & Ambrotype Room, Sandwich, Massachusetts
Collection
Citation
Mayo's Photography & Ambrotype Room, Sandwich, Massachusetts, “Ambrotype of a Serious Little Girl, 1850s,” Historic Textile and Costume Collection, accessed April 25, 2024, https://uritextilecollection.omeka.net/items/show/232.