Is this post war civilian dress?

[lambrew]

Ok I need some help. I am trying to date these two photos. My knowledge of civilian clothes needs a lot of work. Any help is greatly appreciated.

I think they are post war, but I'm not sure. Mods, if this is the wrong spot for this please correct me.







Respectfully....
Sean Collicott

[OleMissRebel]

Re: Is this post war civilian dress?

Didn't they stop wearing hoop skirts shortly after the war ended?

[MissMaggie]

Re: Is this post war civilian dress?

I'd personally place both images within the war years.

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Is this post war civilian dress?

That's the same woman, isn't it?

Both are war years. The second feels earlier than the first, to me, based on the decorated bishop sleeve, but they're very close in dating (within 2-4 years.) The sleeve in the first is a coat sleeve, or 2pc shaped sleeve, and is *very* typical for the 60s.

Hoops don't stop at '65. They're worn in various forms (getting more oval, then developing a bustle at the back hip) until the 1880s, when "natural form" dresses come in. They reemerge with the second bustle phase.

[lambrew]

Re: Is this post war civilian dress?

That is the same woman. The photos I have are on cardboard backing, leading me to think that the copies I have are repoductions. I got these photos from a box that was my grandfather's. He was not much of a historian however, so I am trying to do the research now. These reproductions look old as well, I am guessing from the 1910's or 20's, comparing the studio marks on the back with other photos of a younger vintage. Thanks....


Respectfully....
Sean Collicott

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Is this post war civilian dress?

Your best dating option is that baby, then... look for a girl child born between 1862 and 1866. The baby doesn't have enough hair to do a typical girl's center part, but there's a hint of one mid-head. You can likely see more on the original in your posession. Barring additional information, I'd put both images somewhere between 62 and 66.

[lambrew]

Re: Is this post war civilian dress?

Thank you, I did not notice that. Thanks all, I think I am on track now.

Respectfully....
Sean Collicott

[Mike Willey]

Re: Is this post war civilian dress?

What is the format of the original photo? Are they carte-de-visites or hard images?

Post photos of the entire photograph including the matte around the image and the backmark....that will key you in as much as anything.

Mike Willey
Late of the 49th Ohio and Coffee-coolers

[lambrew]

Re: Is this post war civilian dress?

I don't have the originals. These appear to have been reproduced shortly after the turn of the century. They look to have been taken with wet plate, but reproduced on cardboard later on. They have a studio satmp on the back, but, alas, no dates.

Respectfully....
Sean Collicott

[Mike Willey]

Re: Is this post war civilian dress?

Most photographer's backmarks from the CW period have a different look than postwar shots....also the paper gets heavier/thicker in the 1870's.

Other tell tale signs:

*double border of thin lines around the image.....usually indicative of CW period

*tax stamps....indicate 1864 to 1867 (?)....when the govt thought they oughta get a piece of the action by taxing photographs.

*if the originals are cased hard images, they most likely are wartime or prewar, as these were "old fashioned" by the late 1860's. Daguerreotypes are the oldest form, followed by Ambrotypes and Tintypes.

Personally these look like period images to me...especially the lady and daughter/son.

FWIW

Mike Willey
late of the 49th Ohio and Coffee-coolers

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Is this post war civilian dress?

Sometimes back marks and paper can be handy for pinpointing an image that lacks crucial details, has ambiguous details, needs confirming dating, etc... in the case of most women's clothing, accessories, and hairstyles, though, styles change rapidly enough that it is usually possible to date an image to the correct half-decade even without that corroboration (children's styles, too, to a large extent, if one has studied them.)

Good details on the physical bits of the print, thanks!

[lambrew]

Re: Is this post war civilian dress?

So by the CW period they were using paper to reprodue images? The studio stamp matches up with other photos I have from images taken in the early twentys, and late teens. Thanks again all for the help.:)


Respectfully....
Sean Collicott

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Is this post war civilian dress?

From what I understand, yes, paper prints were possible by the 60s. However, in your case, it sounds like a family member in the early 20th century had photos of existing family images taken and printed, perhaps to share them out with other family members.