Who Were They?

Lost and forgotten photos from the past

Liberty Bell 20

Mrs Marvel

1 comment

April 27, 2014

Liberty Bell 22

Fading beauty

This next image from the Liberty Bell Album shows an 1880s image or possibly early 1890s, of a middle-aged woman in 3/4 profile. The image is faded, as well as slightly damaged and so the image quality is not quite as sharp as others we have seen from the album or from the time period. Note her dress is made from some sort of jacquard, probably silk, and features a vest or false vest. A false vest is a style that appears to be a multilayered garment, but really the “vest” is just sewn to the lapels and is simply part of the whole. It was a popular look throughout the second half of the 19th century, featuring in all the classic styles at one point or another. You can also just see a delicate necklace peeping out of her neckline.

This image was made by an unknown photographer. No back mark or front embossing was on the card.

Liberty Bell 19

Mrs Marvel

no comments

April 22, 2014

Liberty Bell 21

Pretty bow

Here we have a solemn looking young woman with a pretty bow and a frilly blouse. Her features are the classic Edwardian look: soft hair style, soft round face, straight nose, not-too-wide mouth, strong chin. She has a nice curve to her neck which we can see due to her blouse being a bit low necked. I believe this may be a wedding portrait or other special occasion.

She was photographed by Tilton in Exeter, NH. To see all the images by Tilton, click on the category Tilton or W. P. Tilton Jr.

Liberty Bell 18

Mrs Marvel

1 comment

April 13, 2014

Liberty Bell 20

A bit of a dandy

Continuing on in the Liberty Bell album, we have a nice 20th century photograph of a young man. His hair is oiled, his collar is starched, and his tie is tucked into his vest. He also has some sort of pin on his lapel and one in the knot of his tie. With the striped shirt and tie, pins and carefully groomed appearance, he comes across as a bit of a dandy, but in all the good ways.

The photographer was the Fornell Studio in Worcester, MA. The history of the studio is murky, but I did find a reference to a photographer working for the Fornell Studio in 1963! Perhaps it was a family owned business, or the business name was retained after a new owner came on board. The photograph shown above looks to 1910-1925 to me.

Liberty Bell 17

Mrs Marvel

2 comments

April 8, 2014

Liberty Bell 19

Spectacles and mustache

Getting back to the turn-of-the-century portraits, we have a mustachio’d man in spectacles. He has a high, starched collar with the sharp points, a neat bow tie, vest and coat. His shirt probably had buttons that came out. I have a small silver box that was my grandfather’s in which he could store his shirt buttons on his dresser top.

The photo is similar to many of the other portraits taken in Exeter, NH by Tilton but there is no photographer’s mark evident on this one.

Liberty Bell 16

Mrs Marvel

1 comment

April 4, 2014

Cutie patootie!

Cutie patootie!

Jumping into the 20th century, here we have a gorgeous little girl in her finery. The dress looks almost sheer and the ribbons from her bonnet are so large they look a bit like a kimono sleeve. The dress bodice is quite frilled with wide ruffles at the shoulders. Not to be outdone by her clothing, this little miss has bright eyes and an eager expression that makes you want to just scoop her up and kiss her!

The photographer was G. W. (or possibly C. W.) Smith at 26 Gill Street, Exeter, NH.

Blog at WordPress.com.