RootsChat.Com

Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: Westfrem on Wednesday 27 February 13 17:30 GMT (UK)

Title: Mystery woman from when?
Post by: Westfrem on Wednesday 27 February 13 17:30 GMT (UK)
Hi all

Could you give me any pointers on this photo (date/observations?) which was found in my GtGMs collection

Thanks
Title: Re: Mystery woman from when?
Post by: chinakay on Wednesday 27 February 13 18:06 GMT (UK)
Mmmm....intriguing :) Early 1870s.

Cheers,
China
Title: Re: Mystery woman from when?
Post by: Westfrem on Wednesday 27 February 13 18:20 GMT (UK)
Thanks China,

Comments on 'intriguing'??
Title: Re: Mystery woman from when?
Post by: chinakay on Wednesday 27 February 13 18:26 GMT (UK)
Jacket has a very military look but has been designed for a woman, and cut to fit over her bustle. Wonder if that was a fashion trend in America, don't think I've seen English clothing that looks like that. Inspired by American civil war?? Ended in 1865.

Just ruminating :)

Cheers,
China
Title: Re: Mystery woman from when?
Post by: jim1 on Wednesday 27 February 13 20:06 GMT (UK)
Agree early-mid 1870's however military styles were very popular in women's fashion & were resurrected at various times up to the 1890's.
It's not often we see women wearing outdoor clothes so it's nice to see this young lady in a very fetching jacket.

jim
Title: Re: Mystery woman from when?
Post by: maggie5 on Thursday 28 February 13 18:16 GMT (UK)
Hastings (1867-1910) Photogaphers to HRH Prince of Wales
Maggie
Title: Re: Mystery woman from when?
Post by: Westfrem on Sunday 03 March 13 17:39 GMT (UK)
Thanks all

Could this lady have been born around 1852?

 :)
Title: Re: Mystery woman from when?
Post by: chinakay on Sunday 03 March 13 18:52 GMT (UK)
Sounds reasonable...who do you think she might be?
Title: Re: Mystery woman from when?
Post by: Westfrem on Sunday 03 March 13 21:22 GMT (UK)
Hi China

Have a hunch she might be my 2xGtGMother and the mother of the 2 girls in my '2little Girls' posting (but this has been dated too late for this). Just felt the skin & hair colouring was right.

 :-\
Title: Re: Mystery woman from when?
Post by: roopat on Sunday 03 March 13 21:28 GMT (UK)
I think she looks very small, like a girl in her teens maybe. Her shoulders are tiny and she seems dwarfed in the jacket. Her hands are also very small.

Pat
Title: Re: Mystery woman from when?
Post by: Westfrem on Sunday 03 March 13 21:33 GMT (UK)
So if born 1852 she would be at least 18 but I see what you mean about looking younger.

 ???
Title: Re: Mystery woman from when?
Post by: chinakay on Sunday 03 March 13 21:37 GMT (UK)
She does look small compared to the jacket, but 1870s style dresses featured loose sleeves like these. The jacket also looks large because it has to fit over the bustle.

Girls of marriageable age wore her hair up. Were she much younger her hair should be loose around her shoulders, although as her hair looks a bit unruly she may have done something with it.

One more odd feature is that the photographer has messed with her eyes. Sometimes when a sitter's eyes lacked definition in a photo, the photographer would "enhance" them with little black dots. Usually with gruesome results, especially if the dots are uneven. Like here :P :P :P

So the eyes may be confusing her apparent age.

Cheers,
China
Title: Re: Mystery woman from when?
Post by: Westfrem on Sunday 03 March 13 21:48 GMT (UK)
Thanks China,

So do you agree with the date for '2little girls'? Can you see any resemblence - one of the girls has very distinctive eyes but the other may have inherited her mothers?! Now I am letting my imagination run away with me!! ;)

Title: Re: Mystery woman from when?
Post by: chinakay on Monday 04 March 13 06:06 GMT (UK)
I've been staring at the photos, and the girls do have a similar face to the woman. She has lighter eyes than I first thought (darn those awful dots) and one of the girls does have very light eyes. For all the facial similarities of the girls, the other one has completely different eyes, doesn't she...very dark.

But as they are both sepia photos and we can't really see the actual skin and hair colouring, I suppose my best guess would be "maybe" :P

When did the lady marry?
Title: Re: Mystery woman from when?
Post by: Westfrem on Monday 04 March 13 16:39 GMT (UK)
Ah now there you have it! She never married but had 7 children - no named father. Neither was she ever living with a man in any census or shown as married!!

 :o ;)
Title: Re: Mystery woman from when?
Post by: chinakay on Monday 04 March 13 17:28 GMT (UK)
Eeeek :P :P :P :P

Gooood luck :P :P ;D