Dating Old Photographs

[Brett]

Dear Peggy,

I can't really offer much with regard to the process that the subjects went throught to get the photos, I'm afraid. Not my forte, sorry.

Regards, Brett

[SallyH]

My guess would be that the little girl looks about 8 or 10, but I wonder if the unrelieved dark colour of her dress might mean that she is wearing mourning clothes. Do you know if a close relative died around that time??

Good luck

Sally

[Geoffers]

I don't have the original photos, only copies. The girl in #9 was born 13 July 1861. Any guess about her age in the photo would be helpful. I haven't a clue. Peggy

I've looked at a couple of photos of my wife's family which are dated and the photo of the child is very similar (hairstyle, pose, dress) to one dated 1867. The photo of the older woman looks more like the 1870's to me, but that is an inexpert estimate.

Geoffers

[Peggy]

[I wonder if the unrelieved dark colour of her dress might mean that she is wearing mourning clothes. Do you know if a close relative died around that time??]

Hi Sally,

Wow! This is a wonderful system. More replies 6 months on!

That's an interesting question. I'm not sure if there had been any recent deaths in the family circle. I'm not even certain I've found all of her siblings.

If the photo was taken shortly before she left England, and if I finally have the facts straight, her father was dying. But he wouldn't die for another couple of months. (I've always thought that she looked awfully solemn in that photo. Guess she had good reason.)

Peggy

[Peggy]

Hi Geoffers!

Is the picture you mention on the web anywhere? I'd love to see it. I couldn't find any similar photo when searching through the old photo sites.

She looks a little older than 6, doesn't she? Perhaps she was just out of style.

Btw, you were looking at Julia, probably about to sail off to America with the mysterious Snooks couple. [From my thread on USA.] The older woman was her mother Sarah, who died in Aston in 1904, survived by her 4th husband.
A daughter of husband #3 was down in his 1883 will to inherit "portraits" of him and Sarah. I wonder what became of those!

Best,

Peggy

[Geoffers]

Is the picture you mention on the web anywhere? I'd love to see it. I couldn't find any similar photo when searching through the old photo sites.

Sorry, it's just one of a collection of (copies of) old photos that we have.

She looks a little older than 6, doesn't she? Perhaps she was just out of style.

The photo that I have is 1867 - but - styles may have remained similar for a couple more years. As to age, well children were just regarded as young adults and I think that being dressed up in this manner does tend to create a false impression of age. The problem is having very little in the photo from which to judge scale, apart from the skirting board.

Geoffers