Portrait of Lena Webster
Subject
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Date
Description
This portrait of Lena Webster (b. 1883) was taken by W.B. Davidson, a popular photographer in Narragansett, Rhode Island. In this photograph, Lena demonstrates popular fashions of the Edwardian era. Her stand-up collar and the yoke of her bodice are trimmed in black lace. She also has a velvet bow attached to the top of the collar. According to Cole and Deihl (61), “Often the collar was decorated with trims and satin ribbons.” The oversized sleeves of the mid 1890s had deflated by 1900, although some gathering remained at the shoulder. Lena’s hair aligns with the Edwardian era’s most popular style for young women: piled on top of her head with a big bow that matches the ribbon on her collar. Bows were more commonly worn by girls and very young women; thus, Lena might still be in her teens in this photo. She married in 1904 at the age of 21, and her last name became Woodmansee.
A photograph of Lena and her bridal party is included in this collection. (URI 1963.02.02)
Cabinet card, ca. 1900
References
Cole, Daniel James and Nancy Deihl. The History of Modern Fashion.(London: Laurence King, 2015).