Dates for photos please

[capmelton]

Can anyone date these photos for me please?

[forthefamily]

Just curious....regarding the second picture...do you know what the event was...both ladies are wearing the same dress.........Twins?

mab

[capmelton]

The woman on the right was born in 1858 and the other 1867 so they are definately not twins. As far as I know it is a family portrait.

[capmelton]

OOPS!!!!!!!!!!!
I mixed up my left and right, silly me

[forthefamily]

I'd guess that the dresses are mid to late 1870's to the early to mid 1880's. That slimmer silhouette and tight basque (jacket) was evident at that time. In fact I'm looking at an illustration from 1883 that is almost the identical dress. Without seeing the back...bustle/draping it's hard to say exactly.

Because they are both wearing the same dress I wondered if it was a "uniform" of an organization of some sort...

mab

[chinakay]

You know, I'd like to put it just a little later, say 1888 or even 1889...it's because of the split look to the bodice, and the fact that there seems to be a very slight kickup to the sleeves, a fashion that got its big start in 1889...just my opinion.

The similarity in dresses may just be that the material was being ordered,  and the style of dress commissioned...all clothing was made by dressmakers then so it may have been as easy to make two...I have seen in other photos sisters wearing very similar dresses.

Cheers,
China

[chinakay]

I meant to add that the top photo shows a woman wearing 1860s style clothing, although the photo itself may have been taken later than that...although most ladies wouldn't be caught dead in front of a camera in anything but the latest style, older ladies often retained the kind of clothing they were most comfortable in, and may have been on a fixed budget as well.

I also think she is wearing a widow's cap.

Cheers,
China

[forthefamily]

Re the second picture....I was being a bit more conservative based on their birth dates and the fact that a larger bustle wasn't evident and as you know post 1884 it made a resurgence.

I also wondered if they had a joint marriage ceremony and both brides wore the same dress but then only capmelton can confirm that for us 

mab

[forthefamily]

Hmmm.........maybe not a marriage as I don't see any evidence of a ring on the lady on the right....

mab