yet another dating request

[sally harris]

would it be possible to clean the picture up a bit.
Many Thanks.
Sally

[chinakay]

Sally, the restorers aren't supposed to clean a photo without being asked, so you should go back to the first post in this thread, and add "restore" or "clean" or some such to the title...

The photo could be about 1860, it's certainly possible...it's just that there's really nothing in the photo to pin it down...

Cheers,
China

[ali607]

I've been thinking about this one a while...what about the little girl's socks and shoes - they look far too late for 1860s to me. Also, the very relaxed natural poses of all the subjects wouldnt have happened in the 1860s cos of the time they would have had to have stayed rigid still and the fact that people just didnt appear so relaxed...I would also say the quality of the photograph is also far too good for 1860s as well as the fact that it's an outdoor shot which again wasn't really heard of as far as I know much before the 1890s-1900. I thought 'working photos' of working class people only came into vogue (prob due to the expense) after the turn of the century...all that considered I was thinking more along a date of 1890s-1905 or so...

Alison

[chinakay]

The little girl isn't wearing socks and shoes, she's wearing boots which was the norm up to the early 20th century.

Camera exposure time would have been just a second or two by 1860.

I have seen plenty of outdoor shots, even back in the 1850s.

The quality of the photo is perfectly appropriate to 1860.

[ali607]

As I usually state on my posts I am just a beginner - not an expert - at dating photos and I just offer my opinion along with that disclaimer...usually followed by something like 'wait for one of the experts to have a look'. Given that, I don't think there's any need to be so forceful in negating my comments one by one, line by line.

I gained most of the knowledge I do have from the experts like yourself on here...and I'm sure several times I have read that outdoor shots were very rare in the earlier days of photography. The jury's out on whether the girl is wearing socks or boots - I dont think it's clear enough to see.

Alison

[sharpie]

Here's  restored sepia and coloured versions for you, hope you like them.

Sharpie

[jim1]

As China says there were lots of 1860's outdoor photo's,mainly scenic but in the US there are large numbers from the Civil War,so not that rare.
There are a couple of things that concern me about this being from that decade,the caps a couple of the boys are wearing look more 1880's/90's & the the girl appears to have plaits which again is an 1880's style,1860's/70's girls tended to have long hair swept back or ringlets,so if I had to pick a decade.....1880's.

jim

[sally harris]

My thanks for the restoration. I liked the content of the original.-but the restored pictures both sepia and colour are superb.

sally Harris

[sally harris]

now that  the pictures have been so beautifully restored-there seems to be someting written at the bottom right of the picture can anyone help decipher please.
Sally