CDV of an older woman wearing a large hoop dress and whilte mantilla, taken by Robert Slingsby

This is a CDV of an older woman wearing a large hoop dress and an white mantilla.

I learn a lot about fashion from old pictures - to me, man that I am, she's wearing a veil.  To my better half, woman that she is, she's wearing a mantilla.  A mantilla is covers the neck and shoulders, while a veil covers the head and face.  I believe that's the difference. 

Either way, the elaborate dress and the head covering make this an interesting photo. 

The backstamp lists the photographer as R. Slingsby of Lincoln (U.K.).  There is a blurb indicating he was patronized by the Prince of Wales, and reproductions of awards he received in 1868 and 1869.  Robert Slingsby was a well known photographer of the time, active between 1859 and the 1890s. 

I found the follwing information on http://dating-au.com/slingsby-robert-d-1895/ :

"Slingsby's more important contribution to photog­raphy was his work on the development of flash light for photography. As early as 1869 he had a photograph reproduced in the Illustrated London News that had been produced using artificial light and between 1890 and 1891 he was granted four patents relating to the use of magnesium for flash photography one of which related to a shutter that could be synchronised to the discharge of magnesium."

So Robert Slingsby was a bit more than the run of the mill 19th century portrait photographer.  He died in 1895.