Mystery Woman - E Levett

[garyatkinson]

Fantastic Arthur. Just the sort of thing that I was hoping for. Frustratingly, I cannot get in touch with the person that uploaded this photograph as they are not very active on the site that it is on.
I agree that the colour of the hat's tassel, which may gold or white may be significant. At first, this looks normal but having now looked at numerous outfits for English universities, I am beginning to feel that this is more unusual. This is the same for the three stripes on the arm.
I understand that there is a gown design for MA and another for BA but I cannot decide which one it is that she is wearing. Could you comment. I am also uncertain as to whether the difference that I am seeing in the gown that she is wearing (gathered sleeves to the elbow, pinned or stitched just below the three stripes) compared to more modern gowns (1940s onwards) is just an older design of one of the two gowns mentioned above. My hope is that gowns were like school uniforms colours and designs; unique to their particular school.  I will go and have a look at the link that you provided. Many thanks.

[snowyw]

http://qvictoria.wordpress.com/victorian-photographers-ba-by/

Barry – Hull, Yorkshire  -1876-1900-

[Treetotal]

There is an Ellen Levitt who received a scholarship for evening class in Hull in 1924 in FindMyPast Newspaper.
I think it is a cabinet card...I think it's a bit too late for a Carte de Visite.

Carol

[arthurk]

It may indeed be a cabinet print rather than a CDV, but it's very difficult to tell. Both are commonest in the latter part of the 19th century through to about 1919. They were superseded by postcard-type formats, which were introduced at the beginning of the 20th century.

I understand that there is a gown design for MA and another for BA but I cannot decide which one it is that she is wearing. Could you comment. I am also uncertain as to whether the difference that I am seeing in the gown that she is wearing (gathered sleeves to the elbow, pinned or stitched just below the three stripes) compared to more modern gowns (1940s onwards) is just an older design of one of the two gowns mentioned above. My hope is that gowns were like school uniforms colours and designs; unique to their particular school.  I will go and have a look at the link that you provided. Many thanks.

Each university would have had its own designs, which may have varied a little over time as well as by faculty, and usually there would be different ones for BA and MA. Without knowing what institution it came from, it's very hard to say which of these it might have been - and that's before you get into BSc, BMus, and so on. However, if she hadn't been able to take a bachelor's degree, I don't think she'd have been able to get a higher one such as an MA.

Arthur

[Treetotal]

By the early 1870s, cartes de visite were supplanted by "cabinet cards," which were also usually albumen prints, but larger, mounted on cardboard backs measuring 110 mm (4.5 in) by 170 mm (6.5 in). Cabinet cards remained popular into the early 20th century, when Kodak introduced the Brownie camera and home snapshot photography became a mass phenomenon.
From Wiki
Carol

[garyatkinson]

Carol, Arthur and snowyw, your posts create a combined question.
I did notice that there was an Ellen Levitt who received a scholarship for evening class in Hull in 1924 but this would not necessitate such an outfit to receive such a scholarship, or would it? If it did, would that kind of photograph  "a cabinet card... or Carte de Visite" be produced in '24?

snowyw, you raise a good point about the activities of the Barry studio. This is something that I have tried to look into in the hopes that a closure date may give a clue, at least, as to when the latest possible date for the photograph could have been for it to be taken. The Barry studio seems to have been very active in the latter half of the 1800s but the activity seems to taper off in the early 1900s. To date I do not know when the studio closed bot it does appear to be later than 1900.

[arthurk]

I'm not sure what a scholarship for an evening class would entail, but this looks to me to be probably something of a higher standard. I also feel the date is a lot earlier than 1924: I said before that it seemed to me something like the 1890s, and I wonder if the hairstyle might put it towards the end of the deade, if not a bit later still.

One of the key factors in dating is the photographer and studio, and it's already been said that Barrys have been recorded in Hull in 1876-1900. It would probably be worth looking into that some more to try to pin down an exact date range.

Arthur

[Treetotal]

Hi Gary...I have asked one of the daters to come over and take a look for you....although without seeing the corners and the back it may not be easy but China has good in depth knowledge. I know you don't have the back but posting the whole photo might help.
Carol

[chinakay]

Hi gang

Unfortunately the bits of the lady's dress that we really need to see for dating are completely obscured by the gown.All we have is a lace bertha which could be just about any date, a bit of collar which isn't very high, and a sleeve that is a bit looser at the wrist than the various 1890s styles. There seems to be a hint of a cuff on it, which would put it into Edwardian fashion. I think it's early Edwardian.

The dark surround was popular in the 1890s, though, and is not typical for Edwardian photos. Could be old cardstock, I suppose.

Is there any printing on the back? Could you show us if there is please.

It's going to be a cabinet card...way too late for a cdv. But I do think this photo is way too early for 1924.

About the only thing I can say with any reasonable certainty is that this is a BA. She is holding her degree so we know she has graduated. BA graduates move the tassel from the right side of the cap to the left while MA graduates move from the left (which they already have) to the right. So she is BA. Or BSc I suppose

My opinion, and you may get others

Cheers,
China