Ambrotype of Young Woman in printed dress

This ambrotype image of a young woman is housed in a small gold decorative frame. The young woman is wearing a printed dress which closes in the center front with a brooch at her collar. Her hair, parted down the middle, has been smoothed over her ears to a bun at the back, a common style for the early 1850s. 

Other jewelry includes earrings, just visible, and a ring on her hand. Because this is an ambrotype, the ring is probably on her right hand so would not signify that the sitter is married. 

The color on the sitter's cheeks was added by the photographer, a common practice at the time and found on both ambrotypes and daguerreotypes. The pale color of the eyes indicate that the sitter's eyes were blue.

The dropped shoulder line and what appear to be full sleeves also indicate a time period of the early 1850s. The high neckline, lace collar and printed textile allow us to conclude that this dress would have been worn during the daytime.  

Printed cottons and wools began to be seen in the 1830s. It was common at this time for dresses to be repurposed and reconstructed to fit the current styles, which could have been possible for this woman. The photography process suggests this image was taken between 1850 and 1865. Ambrotypes were easier to process than daguerreotypes, becoming more popular during the 18509s.

References

1840-1849. Fashion History Timeline. (2020, March 26). Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1840-1849/


LisaL. (2021, December 21). How to identify 5 types of old photographs. Are You My Cousin? Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://lisalisson.com/5-types-of-old-photographs/