dating of photograph of Emily possibly my Great Grandmother

[Fresh Fields]

Copy edited.......

I can't work out what the fence is made of in the photo we are discussing. It looks like iron. If the photo was dated in the 1940's I would have expected barbed wire, wood or corrugated iron.

..... more edit.

regards
Jan

Hello.

The chunky nature of this  "fence" I would say wall, reminds me of post WWI terracotta block wall construction with a wider concrete cap and strengthening columns at intervals along the length of the wall. They were also used instead of bricks in some of the local community churches of that period. As they don't meet todays earth quake specs [in NZ], they are rapidly disappearing.

This type of wall is common in NZ with the terracotta hollow blocks being either plastered or stucco covered. They are very similar in dimensions to the more modern hollow concrete block, and used in a similar manner. I don't believe it is a solid boxed concrete wall.

Height wise, those around our churches you can usually see over, but taller versions can be found at convents and Private / Church school yards. Not usually around private country homes, so I don't believe the photo was taken in a private yard, unless commercial, or institutional.

This advert [far right] confirms my idea about dates of such walls, with the advert saying 1920.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_clay_tile

Your photo file supplied.
With a proof sheet size photo, producing a scanned jpg file size of under 100 Kb I am assuming it was not scanned at a very high resolution. I would have expected a 600 dip scan to have produced a jpg file of some Kb 180 to 200.  Therefore do you have the ability to get the photo scanned at 600 dip or even better 1200 dpi. Higher the dpi of the scan, the more the picture can be blown up to make evaluation easier.

The file size will be above this forum's limit of 500 Kb but it is possible to stay under that limit, by making several cropped copies from the high dpi image saved. Crop to portrait photo, crop to dress only, crop to shoes, crop to hems or jewellery etc.

I make these suggestions because we have just gone through this exercise, with another forum post, and it has helped reveal more details to the naked eye.

- Alan.

[Treetotal]

Hi Jan...I can appreciate just how much you want this photo to be that of your Great Grandmother but the evidence just doesn't support your theory...This photo that you posted earlier and dated to around 1901 is far more typical of the era..if you compare the style of clothing to those in your current photo there is a huge difference:

 http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=743310.0

Do bear in mind that people swapped photos and the people in your photo may be cousins or even friends. It pays to keep an open mind...I would say it was more likely to be at the earliest 1950s.
Is there anything on the back at all?

Carol

[GBP]

Hello,
Has anyone considered that the woman may well be wearing a housecoat? It is 1940s or possibly later. GBP

[Wiggy]

Still doesn't fit Jan's wish/conviction for it to be 1900s though . . .  housecoat or not.   

[chinakay]

I don't care to enter into any discussion on this topic again.

regards
Jan

Guys...don't waste your time.