As far as is known, the first (camera) photo of a person was taken in 1838. The owner says that this photo was taken in 1836, we think it's closer to 1860 - what do you think?
Yes all these are right around the Civil War period and were book like with a metal clasp to keep them closed. A lot of Civil War soldiers had their portraits taken and they were sent back to family members during the war. I did notice however, that their clothing they are wearing does seem early 1850’s ?
The neckline of the woman's dress and the collar certainly look like the 1860's. Necklines in the 1830's was very different, as were the hairstyles.
It's possible that the owner of the photo was told the wrong year or, if the year is written on the photo, the date could have been transposed.
I have dyscalculia, a learning disability that deals with numbers, math, time, etc. I often transpose numbers. Learning disabilities did exist before anyone came up with the discovery that there were learning disabilities. So, transposition of the year could explain it.
Linda Rushing I know collars were detachable. Collars were being used like that into the 1950s. I have some of the ones my mother crocheted for that purpose.
However, the neckline was different requiring the sleeves to be set in differently. Her dress has the sleeves set in at the shoulder seam. In the 1830's, the shoulder seams would have been lower than the top of the shoulder. Her collar would not have set right with a 1830 neckline.
Full sleeves were fashionable for many decades, but in the 1830's, the fullness was at or near the top of the sleeve. BY the 1860's the fullness of the sleeve..if it wasn't simply fitted all the way...started at the elbow or lower.
Not every woman dressed in the height of fashion, but I would assume that to have her photo taken back then, she would have worn her best, most fashionable outfit, not an everyday working dress.
The hairstyle is typical of the 1860's as well.
Although most women in the working classes could not afford to to keep up with fashion, and fashion didn't change drastically every year or two back then. Lower middle class women usually had only one or two dresses (hence, the detachable collars that could be rotated for different looks), there is a 3 decade time span between the fashions of the 1830s and the 1860s. Dresses could be refashioned to fit current styles, but only to a certain extent. Most dresses simply did not last 30 years, and 30 years later, a woman wasn't necessarily the same size either.
One more thing...it's possible this photo was misidentified and this is not Samuel L. and Sarah Biddle. There is a photo taken in 1920 of the "Six Biddle Brothers," the sons of Samuel L.Biddle. The old men are listed correctly with their birth years and ages at the time of the photo...except for the last one. He is identified as Samuel L., born 1814 and aged 68 years old in the 1920 photo.
Obviously, someone misidentified the man. It is no doubt Samuel M. Biddle (Samuel L.'s youngest son) who was born in 1852 and was 68 in 1920.
The couple in the photo wearing clothes that are much more fitting for the 1860's and 1870's could be Samuel M. Biddle and his wife.
In researching my family...and extended family..history, I found many errors with names and dates, especially in the census records, and mislabeled photos in old albums.
Donna Appleby "Hair was worn parted in the middle and smoothed, waved, or poofed over the ears, then braided or "turned up" and pinned into a roll or low bun at the back of the neck."
If you had plentiful hair,, it could be done up with braids, buns low at the nape of the neck or higher up. But if you had straight, thin, fine hair (like mine and my mother's and her mother's), it mostly stayed flat against the head with little volume even in a bun or roll at the back.
No expert but I say 1860's going by the hairstyles and clothing . My husband and I are Civil war re enactors and her hair is exactly that period and the high collar even her sleeves on the dress the way they are fitted at the top and drop off the shoulder and become full towards the elbow . Not long after the American civil war the fashion changed a good bit and not looking so conservative for woman and woman could wear bangs and do a side part . His suit is the same period also it does not look 1830's to me at all . Maybe a mistake marked on the photo or I am wrong .
DeJean Melton That is what I was thinking more to the 1860's maybe but I see in the comments someone knows the name of the couple and with more information it is looking like the correct date. I really am no expert just my own experience on what I have read on what I wear at re enactments . I did look up dressing in the 1830's and it is a bit different. Now my curiosity it truly peaked and I am going to get in touch with fellow re enacting friends that know much more than I do . I love a good mystery .
P.d. Lovato That lace is Beautiful ! I was trying to zoo in I think that might be a lace Shawl ?? I have gloves similar tough to cover my long nails are re enactments so public can't see them lol.
I think at earliest 1847-48 and more likely 1850-1855. Sometimes ancestors get mis-identified by descendants who sincerely believe their identification is correct. At times, it may be a generation down.
The fist workable photograhic process disdn't happen until the 1830s in Europe. Based on that and her hair and style of dress, I would guess mid 1850s to 1860s.
Jan Richeson Davis - I thought maybe that was it. But, her fingers are skeletal and extraordinary long and her sleeve looks like there is no arm in it. I wonder if she had an amputation and was trying to camouflage it.
This isn't a daguerreotype, that I can tell. Looks more like an ambrotype or tintype. Either way, I think about mid-1850s, late-1850s, possibly. From what I can see of the matte, it looks slightly older, early 1850s.
Fashion says 1860s... 1830s had empire waste on ladies, different hair styles and different sleeves. The man also looks 60s fashion...very civil war area high end fashion.
I think what is throwing us off is that they state it's a wedding photo....i dont believe it is. Does not look wedding like of the times, esp for someone who had money. Most likely its them a bit older. Their first of 6 sons was born in 1839. So they were married in 1836. I think this is them older...perhaps early 1850s??? Thats why it looks very much fashion wise like the 1860s.
I would put it at early to mid 1840's. It would have been new tech, yes, but if they travelled to a city or fair then it would have been the "latest thing" Imagine how far cell phone have come in 10 years. The cheek shading is something particularly notable...
Actually, daguerreotype photos were used extensively in the 1840 and 1850s. The tintype process was patented in 1857 and gained in popularity, but daguerreotypes were still being produced.
The daguerreotype process was not announced publicly until 1839...though Louis Daguerre had invented it around 1836 and kept it a secret.
So, if this is a daguerreotype, it could not possibly have been taken before 1839 at the very earliest.
Interesting. Very similar to my great-great - grandparents' photo. Born 1827 and 1846. The man may possibly be her brother but we think it's her husband.
Clara Tanoli You’re confusing sarcasm with wit or humor apparently. Do yourself a favor and look up the word sarcasm in the dictionary. A dictionary is one of those big books that has all the words and their definitions in it. That is sarcasm.
Is the woman alive when the photo was taken? The ancestors used to pose dead relatives when they passed? Anyway, she looks strange. Check out the gloves. She looks different, but I could be wrong.
Hard to tell the actual date. I usually can tell by the clothing, but we can’t see their entire outfits from the photo. I think an earlier date than 1860 (date of US Civil War) is more likely. I think they look American.
With all due respect, and I mean that (yet still feel compelled to say): can you imagine really stepping into that moment in time, and when you were next to them it looked all sepia toned and creepy, and the air smelled like overly sick body perfumes and a hint of mildew?
I’m betting 1863 and they transposed digits. “When Abraham Lincoln became president in 1861, he ushered in a new beard style that caught on with many men: the "chin curtain." For those who didn't want to sport the sideburn look, they chose to grow their beard along the jawline and clean-shave the mustache.”
Mimi Thomas we missed you at the reunion. Everyone brought old photos of Kares/Wagner family. Denny Kares has photos of Johan and Julia when they were younger.
Sarah M. (Quinn) Biddle was born on October 22, 1817. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Sarah M. (Quinn) Biddle.
These historical photos have generated quite the buzz!
This collection of historical photos has got people talking. These photos - either because of the subject and/or the story - have generated a lot of comments among the community. What do you have to s...
The 1800s where the end of the industrial revolution and the birth of scientists.
The Industrial Revolution began around 1760 and ran through the 1840's. Then began the birth of the profession of science. Louis Pasteur, Charles Darwin, Michael Faraday, Thomas Edison, and Nikola Te...
Tennessee has played a significant role in shaping American history.
Get a glimpse of Tennessee's past with this collection of photos shared by the community - from its early settlers and pioneer days to its growth into a thriving state. These photos showcase not only ...
I'm a family history researcher working on my family and my wife's. I'm looking for information on the surnames Biddle, Dietz, Park, Vittetoe, Dyer, Cordell, Rhodes, Jones, Cunningham, Northcutt, Francis, Atkinson and Jackson.