I like to think of this photo as “composed” not just in the sense that the subject appears calm and collected (i.e. composed) but also that the photographer took the time to compose the image. Recently I was reading about the process of setting up a photograph and was reminded that the view …
I know that sometimes my first impressions on these photos aren’t the most flattering, and such is the case today. This poor fellow’s ears stick out, and that reminded me of the old saying of the “taxi doors are open” to describe someone with this affliction. Isn’t it interesting to ponder what life would …
This photo from the 1870s features a solemn woman with a crown of braids. Her dress appears to have been velvet. Victorian fashions were much more bold in their color choices at times, so this dress could have been blue with red trim, brown with green trim, orange with black trim, etc. We will never …
A plain looking woman, not unattractive but not a beauty either, sat for T. L. Darnell in Cumberland, MD in the 1870s. At first I thought this image was an 1860s photo due to the hair style and dropped shoulder seams of the woman’s dress. However, I learned that the heavy borderline (my …
Recently, I acquired a photo album that dates back to the 1860s, during the time when CdV portraiture was really taking off and photo albums became more common. The carte de visite (CdV) became available in 1859 and thrived throughout the following decades. Numerous soldiers engaged in the American Civil War took the time to …
Who Were They? 