A Very Stylishly Dressed Woman, Nashville, Tenneessee

This is a late 19th (or very early 20th century) photo of a quite fashionably dressed woman. She's wearing a straw hat (I think it's straw anyway), a white blouse with a bow tie, a checkered vest, a jacket and holding gloves.  One can infer without too much effort that's she's also wearing a corset, which was pretty standard for the time.

She is very stylishly dressed.

The photo was made by Thuss of Nashville, Tennessee, and there is no other identifying information.    This was a professionally made studio photo, not a candid snapshot, and she was posed with her side to the camera.   It's not an unheard of pose, but it is unusual & adds a bit of interest.

Update:  Sold!

The Clover Leaf Picnic Club, 1895, Trenton, Missouri

So, 118 years ago members of a group call The Clover Leaf Picnic Club got together and had their picture taken, and an instant in time was captured and still survives. A bit faded maybe, but in the world of antique photos, it's alive and kicking.

I think there are 20 men and women in this photo, all look to be in their 20s or 30s. Everybody is pretty well dressed, much, much, MUCH more formally than people would be today.  Especially for a picnic.

I've looked at each individual, with a magnifying glass no less, just to see fashion details and expressions.  One person, the woman in the light blouse in the front row, is not looking at the camera.  I wonder what she was looking at and was thinking about.

This a large photo, almost 8 X 10.  The photographer was Smith of Trenton, Missouri.  My attempts to find anything about The Clover Leaf Picnic Club remain aggravatingly illusive.  Maybe I could contact the Trenton, Mo. Chamber of Commerce, see if they know anything.  I suppose it was a social club, a means for young men & women to put themselves in close proximity to each other during the late Victorian era.

Update: Sold!

Pearline Soap Powder 19th Century Die Cut Trade Card

This is a little different for this blog, because it is not actually a photograph.  It is a late 19th century embossed lithographic die-cut showing a very young girl in a fancy dress and bonnet.  The back of it is completely covered by verbiage, touting the benefits and modernity of Pearline Soap Powder.  

Trade cards were little bits of advertising, frequently no larger than a present day business card, given away free, or perhaps with a purchase of a certain product.  Some came in series or sets and the people who inhabited the 19th century apparently loved to collect them.  There are still tons of them about, most are not very expensive, and some (like, in my opinion, this one) are quite nice.

CDV of a Woman from Aurora, Illinois 1880s-1890s

This is a CDV of a woman, taken by D. C. Pratt of Aurora, Illinois, probably in the late 1880s or 1890s.  There is no other identifying information on the CDV.

This woman looks like she may be Native American (Indian), or perhaps Asian, or maybe neither, it is hard to tell - at least for me.  It is sort of Sepia toned, no special background or props, and the clothing she's wearing looks pretty mainstream for the period.

She has a bit an exotic look to her, and that is enough to make this an interesting photo.  At least to me.

1898 Photo of a Man Tossed into the Air

This is an interesting photo of a person participating in a blanket toss, dated 1898.  The photo shows a couple of buildings, a crowd of people, and a man in mid-air, holding on to his hat.  A couple of people on the right side of the photo may be wearing military uniforms.

It is an albumen print with a cardboard mounting, and it is a bid faded. One thing that interests me is that it's 1898, and the photographer has managed to stop motion - the man in the air is obviously moving, and the shutter speed was apparently fast enough to capture it without any kind of blur.

The following information is written on back:  "Some of the sporting camp life.  Tossing in the blanket.  Taken by Corporal Harmon.  May 10, 1898."  It was signed by H. B. Roderick.  The corporal's name is hard to read - It could be Harman, or maybe even Herman.


Update:  Sold!

Meet Ernest L. Gay - of the Boston Gays, 1893

This is a cabinet photo of a young man, taken by Davis & Howard of Boston, Mass.  "Ernest L. Gay, BLS '93" is handwritten on back, which is what makes this interesting.  At least to me.

If we have it correct, this person was from a very wealthy family, he was born in 1874 and died of an apparent heart attack in 1916, at the relatively young age of 42.  We believe BLS '93 stands for Boston Latin School, 1893.  I supposed someone could check that out if they wish.  The date seems correct, because that was the year Ernest Gay entered Harvard.  Also it fits well with the style of cabinet photo.

And on top of everything else, this is an odd hair style for men of that period.   So perhaps I'm the only one, but I like this cabinet photo.

Cabinet Photo of a Young Woman with Long Hair and Bare Arms

 

This is a cabinet photo (a little more than 4 x 6 inches, including the mounting) of woman wearing a dark short sleeved dress.  It was taken by F. B. Merker of Belleville, Illinois.  There is no other identifying information.

 

My best guess is that this is from the 1880s or 1890s, and it was unusual for a woman (or a man for that matter) to display bare arms in a formal portrait.   Also, I originally thought that was a boa draped over her shoulder, but it isn't - it's her hair, probably in a long pony tail.  Most women her age, in that era, would not have worn their hair down.

 

Maybe she was an actress (you know how they are).  Maybe she was ahead of her time stylistically. 

Or maybe it was a fad, or maybe it was well within the moral conventions of the time, or perhaps it was the latest and greatest from the fashion houses of Paris.  I honestly have no idea.

 

Unique photos are hard to find.  If it were easy to find them, they would not be unique.  I suppose every photo is unique in some way, in fact I know they are,  but some are more unique than others.  This woman's bare arms and long hair draped over her shoulder sets this photo apart.

 

(Old joke:  how do you find a unique photo?  You neek up on it.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Men in Top Hats, from Wenatchee, Washington, and Coldwater & Saginaw, Michigan

 

This is an interesting photo.  There are 3 men, all dressed to the hilt, including gloves.  They look to be in their 30s, the one sitting on the left maybe even a little younger.  The clothing indicates they were doing well for themselves and had (or at least aspired to) some social standing.

 

What makes this really interesting though is what is written on the back. 

 

The man sitting on the left is identified as F.W. Baker, Medical Arts Co., Wenatchee, Wash.  There is also a PHC - 90 in the description, but I don't know what that means.

 

The man sitting on the right is identified as W.H. (Belva) Lockwood, 41 Hull Street, Coldwater, Mich.

 

Whoever wrote this was not sure who the man standing is, but it is either a  Dr. Parkinson, or a Dr. A. S. Rogers, both from Saginaw, Mich.  Whoever the man standing is, he was described as "now dead".  

 

I have no idea who wrote this information, or when they wrote it.

 

So if you like to search out people in old photos and find their stories, there is a lot here to go on.    Just a note - there was a Belva Lockwood who was woman involved with women's rights in the 19th century.  I don't know if that Belva Lockwood has anything to do with the "Lockwood" in this photo.

 

This is a cropped portion of a cabinet card - the mounting is not in great shape, tho the photo itself is just fine.  The phographer's name was Gibson, of Ann Arbor, and I'm assuming it is the Ann Arbor in Michigan, but the state is missing.

 

The person who wrote all that info neglected to put a date on it, but we're pretty sure this photo is from the 1890s.

 

Update:  Sold!

Cabinet Photo Old Man With Elaborate Shawl, Grangeville, Idaho, 1890s

 

Sometimes I think we need an assistant to do nothing but figure out what things like this are.   I expect someone like that might wish to be paid, so that rules out that possibility. 

 

Obviously, the interesting thing in this cabinet photo is the shawl (or is it a vest?), but I want to mention something else first.  Photographer info is listed as Hanson Photo, Grangeville, Idaho.  The fact this is from Idaho makes it somewhat unique, at least in my experience.  The vast majority of cabinet photos we have come from the north east & midwest USA.   We have very few from southern states (states that are south of the Ohio River), and very few from areas west of Iowa and Missouri.  Even California cabinet photos seem relatively rare.  This is the very first card we have from Idaho, and it's an interesting one.

 

What is interesting about it, of course, is the shawl/vest this old fellow is wearing.  We can't figure out what it is.  It's draped around the neck (not really over the shoulders), and I don't know if extends down the man's back, or if it's just around his neck.   Obviously we don't know what it's actual colors are.  It has flower designs, and also cross key designs, which I can't help but think has some significance.   I think there are three of the cross keys - one on each side of the shawl, and I believe one near the bottom which may (or may not) be holding the two sides together.  There is something between the two sides of the shawl, right above the larger cross keys.  Also, there is a medal or something hanging from underneath the shawl, which may have some significance, or may just be part of a pocket watch.  I cannot make out any details on it.  The shawl is fringed, with the two fringes on the ends hanging down lower.

 

We first thought this may be a religious garment, specifically Jewish, and we don't know that it isn't, but if it is, we couldn't find anything else like it. 

 

Our next thought was that it was some kind of masonic (or masonic like) ceremonial garment, but again, we can't find anything to prove that.

 

What we do know, isn't much.  We know that the picture was taken in Grangeville, Idaho, most likely in the 1890s.  He's an old man, wearing a shawl with flower and key designs.  It was taken by Hanson Photo.  That's about it.

 

If anyone can enlighten us about this, we'd appreciate it!

 

Update: Sold!

Rosen Kirche, Watertown, Buffalo County Nebraska, Antique Photograph

This is a colorized antique photograph of a church congregation in Nebraska.  To me it looks like the coloring was done by hand - the blue sky goes off the edges of the photo (it's mounted on a much larger piece of cardboard).   The actual photo is a little brighter than the picture I have of it.

This looks to be 1890s, give or take.  There is a lot of writing on the mounting, most of which is faded to the point that I can't read it.  But I can read several things:   below the picture is written Rosen Kirche.  I'm not sure if it is one word or two, either way I think it's German and it means Red Church.  On back someone has written Rev. J.E. Baumgartner, Watertown, Buffalo Co., Nebraska.    In the back near the middle of the line of people, a man is wearing clerical garments, and I suppose that is the good Reverend.  There are all kinds of people in this photo, young and old.

So, one day in the 1890s, give or  take, a church congregation gathered outside and had their picture taken.  Interesting.

UPDATE: Sold!

Cabinet Photo of a Woman Reflected in a Mirror - 1890s

I like this photo for 3 reasons.   First, we're pretty sure this is from the 1890s, and you don't see very many women with bare arms in he 1890s.  Second, her profile is reflected in a mirror, and that is pretty neat.  I've seen this before, but I'm pretty sure it's the only one I have.  And 3rd, she has a very low cut neck line, in a era when most women had collars that went up to their chin.

In fact, she's showing a lot of skin at a time when usually all you saw skin wise of a woman (or a man, for that matter), was their hands and face. 

I have another photo of this woman in the same dress, same necklace and everything, but in a more traditional pose. 

The photo was taken by Garrison Bros. of Fort Dodge, Iowa.  The Garrison brothers were Charles F. and Fred, and they had a studio in Fort Dodge in the 1890s - at least until 1896.  So this photo is 116-120 years old, give or take.

I have no information on the woman, it would be interesting to know who she is and how she came to have such a photograph made. 

UPDATE:  Sold!