Who Were They?

For a proud Sepia Saturday submission, I give you a Civil War era picnic photograph. Photographs during the Civil War were famously perpetrated by the great Matthew Brady and his staff, though this doesn’t look like their work. There are three women and one little girl. Interesting that the woman in the apron – usually considered a device of the serving classes – is seated in a chair while the women in the more elaborate clothing are on the ground. The woman on the left has on a skirt and blouse, but probably would have had a paletot or other type of bodice to match her skirt, as the skirt and blouse combination was not “the fashion” at that time. The little girl has on a dress with what looks like caps over long sleeves, bloomers and Mary Jane style shoes, as well as a little white hat. The woman in the middle is also wearing a skirt and blouse, but hers is less ornate, so my thought is she may have been of less means? The woman on the right has a darker colored skirt to a white bodice, with decorative trim on the pagoda sleeves. Is the trim the same color as the skirt? It was uncommon to have a bodice that was drastically different from the skirt, however, if this was later in the war and they are from the South or Border states where goods were getting scarce, she may have combined two dresses to make one. Her hat is also different from the other two. While the spoon bonnet was the height of fashion, this woman is wearing a flat crowned and broad brimmed hat.

Who could these ladies be?

Click through to Sepia Saturday and take a look at some of the other great entries!

 

I’ll let you in on a little secret.This photo was taken in Huntington Beach, CA in August 2010. This is me, my daughter, sister and good friend. I’m the one with the different hat. My friend is sitting because she has a bad back.  :-)