Who Were They?

Lost and forgotten photos from the past

I like this photo for the details of the clothing (no surprise there, right?). This girl is in a plaid dress that features dropped shoulder seams, long cuffed sleeves, a gathered bodice and a skirt over hoop with growth tucks. She has just a frill of lace on her neckline. Note that you see no …

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Today’s post-Civil War era CDV shows us three men, two of them ostensibly listening to the third. The three men are all dressed nicely, slacks, vests, coats, etc., and are well groomed. The gentleman on the right of the image has his hand raised, finger pointed, as though lecturing the other two. They could be …

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At first glance, this CDV dated to the 1860s looks like a rather benign fellow with fluffy hair and a frock coat. Perhaps he has an intense gaze, but otherwise, he’s somewhat average. Until you look closely at his eyes. This is one of the few examples I have of the photographer having painted on …

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This CDV dated to the 1860s looks like a photograph of a painting or other type of illustration. That was popular for photographers to generate income in addition to their stock in trade. Photographs of famous figures, such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, could be purchased at the same studio where an individual might …

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This particular gem tintype was added to the Red Gem album after all the pages were filled – making me wonder about the duplicate images and why the owner didn’t remove one of those. The image was also obviously cut to the general shape of an oval, so perhaps it was going to be used …

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