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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: ann255 on Wednesday 10 July 13 18:06 BST (UK)

Title: Date by style of hair
Post by: ann255 on Wednesday 10 July 13 18:06 BST (UK)
I am trying to date this photo.  Can someone please tell me at what age girls put their hair up, and also the length of their dresses went down.  My great grandmother is pictured standing on the left as  you look at the photo next to her father.  She still has her hair down, as do 2 younger sisters, whilst the older 3 have theirs dressed up. She was born in 1888.
Title: Re: Date by style of hair
Post by: chinakay on Thursday 11 July 13 05:15 BST (UK)
Around 1900 by the looks of this. Girls put their hair up when they were of marriageable age. Does she look about 12ish to you?

Cheers,
China
Title: Re: Date by style of hair
Post by: Treetotal on Thursday 11 July 13 07:42 BST (UK)
I think she looks about 14/15...the other girl looks to be about 12.
Carol
Title: Re: Date by style of hair
Post by: josey on Thursday 11 July 13 08:40 BST (UK)
I would say the 3 younger girls look 13, 9-10 & 6.

Josey
Title: Re: Date by style of hair
Post by: ann255 on Thursday 11 July 13 10:53 BST (UK)
It seems most of you think she is around 12/13 which would date the photo to say 1901 for her being 13.  This would give two older sisters (dressed alike - evidently they always used to) ages as 23 and 21. The other elder sister as 18.  The young girl standing next to her mother would then have been 11, and the youngest 7.  Mum and dad, 49 and 58 respectively.
Thank you everyone.
Title: Re: Date by style of hair
Post by: jim1 on Thursday 11 July 13 11:20 BST (UK)
Agree with the dates,v.early 1900's however the skirt length on the girl on the left would put her closer to 14/15.
1 possibly 2 sisters are married & this looks like a postcard rather than a CdeV which would place it after 1902.

jim
Title: Re: Date by style of hair
Post by: JohnCH on Saturday 13 July 13 22:32 BST (UK)
1904 ish.
Title: Re: Date by style of hair
Post by: chinakay on Sunday 14 July 13 01:40 BST (UK)
Can we see a scan of the back please.

Cheers,
China
Title: Re: Date by style of hair
Post by: ann255 on Sunday 14 July 13 12:52 BST (UK)
I am afraid my photo is only a copy, and I am not sure if the original exists, I believe it may be a copy of a copy.
Have done some juggling with dates and even assuming my grandmother is 15 (1903) none of the sisters were married.  Have been trying to think of a reason for this formal photograph, as I know often it was to mark a significant occassion, but cannot seem to see any clues from it. 
As the 2 sisters used to always dress alike I wondered what else they might have done together and I have found them both in the 1901 census working in the same household, one as a domestic nursemaid and the other as a domestic servant. (I had missed this earlier as one of them had been transcribed incorrectly and so hadnt come up when searching) They would both have been in their early 20s at this time so I presume they had worked elsewhere previously.
A mystery I shall never know the answer to, but I do have a timeframe for the date of the photo which was what I originally wanted to know.
Thanks again.
Title: Re: Date by style of hair
Post by: jim1 on Sunday 14 July 13 14:24 BST (UK)
Maybe a wedding anniversary.