Some thoughts on this photo, possibly random
See how the center of the photo is darker? And there are almost straight lines marking the colour differential, most notably on the boy's legs? Possibly this photo was on the bottom of a pile of smaller photos for some years, fading the edges and leaving a darker spot in the center.
The bright white of the ladies' blouses, and the baby's robe, have created a local overexposure effect around them, a feature of what to us seem like long shutter exposure times. Common in baby christening photos....I think Prue calls it "baby blur"
The mother's hairstyle is a wonderful example of the Pompadour style that was in vogue in the late Victorian/early Edwardian eras. The hair was rolled over padding to give the effect.
Well, just random thoughts
Cheers,
China
