Photo for dating please, possible Keble Family

[stpud2011]

I wonder if someone could try dating this photo please it will help me identify the family.

Thanks very much

Steve

[Seoras]

My guess would be early 1900's, a few years either side of 1905. Nice photo.

[jim1]

I think the start date for this is late 1890's. I don't think it's later than 1905 as these bodices would have been a bit old fashioned for young women to wear.
It would help if we knew what we were looking at. Is it a cabinet card, postcard or something else ?

[stpud2011]

I think the start date for this is late 1890's. I don't think it's later than 1905 as these bodices would have been a bit old fashioned for young women to wear.
It would help if we knew what we were looking at. Is it a cabinet card, postcard or something else ?

The photo is from an album of cabinet and carte de visites but it is not either of these it is a photo printed on quite thin paper and cut down to fit into a cabinet card sized slot in the album.

I thought the album might date from 1885-1895. If the ladies in the album are the five daughters of Rev Thomas Keble of Bisley. they would have been aged 34,28,25,24 and 21 in 1891 and that might look reasonable looking at their faces. However if the styling of their clothes dates the photo to 1900 then it either cant be the people I think it is, or they are looking young for their age. Is there any chance it could date from 1891 ish

Thanks
Steve

[jim1]

It's not often I have to eat my words but I think I'll have to.
I looked at it for quite sometime not being able to decide if this was 1890 or 1900.
I went for later because non of these women are wearing the Gigot style which dominated the 90's.
However taking a second look I can see the woman on the left has a bustle & I've no idea how I missed it the first time. Also the woman in the centre has the gathered skirt which accompanied the bustle which went out of fashion in 1890 never to be seen again.
So I would have to confess it is pretty much as close to 1890 as you could get.
Apologies for the confusion.

[stpud2011]

Hi Jim

Thanks for the information. This could well be the Keble sisters then, all daughters of Thomas Keble Junior. As far as I can see they would all remain spinsters except Lucy who got married to Vaughan Kestell Kestell-Cornish who was in the diplomatic service and travelled the world. Lucy married in 1894 in Bombay so this photo could well be her parting with her sisters, although she did return to Bisley later. She must have travelled with Vaughan as one of her children was born in Uruguay.

Steve

[Minnesotan]

The one woman has a bustle but it's not padded out like they were in the bustle era. I believe this is 1908 or so because all of the women's dressed have set-in sleeves i.e. they are not poofed out with gathers. Also the simple stand collar was popular circa 1908. Dress silhouettes had increasingly fewer gathers at the sleeve and waistline i.e. dresses became increasingly more streamlined by 1910.

Refer to this link to 1908 newspaper add for aprons worn over dresses that are similar in style to your dresses than the silhouettes of the 1890s which had gathered puffy sleeves.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/Tablier_pour_hommes_sans_poche_bavette_bretonne_de_chef.png/800px-Tablier_pour_hommes_sans_poche_bavette_bretonne_de_chef.png

[jim1]

Not 1908 everything is wrong for that date.
1888/9 saw the end of the bustle era & by this time it was hardly detectable being much smaller than earlier in the decade.
There are 3 "sightings" , first the lady on the left clearly has one, the ruched skirt brought up & around the back as support is visible on the lady in the middle & you can just detect the train on the skirt of the lady on the right.
As the bustle disappeared so did these style of skirts becoming more slender with the addition of hip-padding commonly called the Alexandria line.
In addition at least 2 of these women have a Chignon which had also had it's day by the end of the decade & faded completely during the 90's.