Added Image: Elderly Lady; Date and comments please.

[andrew__85]

Well, I was having a think,
She could be this chap's wife, in mourning after his death,
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=401597

Or that chap could be her husbands father!

[andrew__85]

or perhaps this is her other half.

Any comments on his date?

[jim1]

This is a reprint of a late 1860's - early 1870's picture taken about the time same as the first.This man looks to be in his 40's

jim

[chinakay]

  I did wonder why the black dress.

Although this photo almost certainly does show a lady in a black dress, don't assume that just because a person in an old photo is wearing dark clothing it's black. As it isn't a colour photo, it could be anything but pastels

Cheers,
China

[jim1]

Isn't that crape on her cuffs?

jim

[andrew__85]

How do you know it is a reprint?
 
I scanned it greyscale, such that I could increase the resolution and the bit depth without making the file too large.

I Think it is a mourning outfit, there are not rings for one.

[LoneyBones]

I wasn't going to post on this again 'til I'd looked in one of my bigger books, (which I haven't had time to do yet.) but...
I'm not sure these two photos were taken in the same studio. Maybe the same address, maybe the same photographer, maybe he had lots of props...
As to mourning practices and jewellery.... there was a whole industry producing the stuff, I can't find any reference to a widow removing her wedding ring when her husband dies. There are, however lots of reasons why a married lady or widow wouldn't be wearing a wedding ring.
Currently reading from 1830's, (some plague, can't remember which, typhoid I think) widow was in black for 6 months, then lavender for another 6 months, with black gloves.
Mother was in black for lost children the same times. These ladies were upper class, society ladies and much younger, so maybe older women mourned longer and maybe middle classes were less inclined to spend too much money on "second stage mourning". Lots of variables....
Just putting in this lot to confuse you all.    Just kidding, I just feel that the more information we have the more informed our guestimates can be.
Leonie.

[jim1]

We've already established that the card stock is post 1892 but this gent is wearing 1870's clothing,his hairstyle is also 1870's.The props & backdrop ae also from this period.Men rarely wore rings of any description.This is normal day wear for an 1860's/1870's gent.Men didn't wear mourning attire.

jim

[chinakay]

Men might wear an armband, but that's about it.

I'm not arguing that it's not mourning attire. It certainly looks like it. I'm saying any photo that isn't in colour can look like a black dress but isn't necessarily.

People post photos on this board all the time, asking why so-and-so is wearing black. Well, it's not a colour photo, so it could be any dark colour. We'll never know what colour it was...

C