Other Methods of Photo Dating

On this page you will find:

What are Balustrades and Plinths?

Chairs with Fringe

Fashion Accessories

Fur Blankets and Rugs  

Hairstyles

Photographers in General

Photographer, Individuals

Photographer Props

Sailor Suit Fad

Support Stands

Victorian Jewelry

Wallpaper in the 1860s

Find the date of your photograph by Photographers,  

Early photographs did not have the names of the photographers on them and were usually in studios but later on photographers began using their photographs like business cards while they traveled, taking photos of anyone who was interested.  At first, in the 1860s and their stamps were simple like this one on the left.  

You may want to research the local photographer on your photograph.  There are business records with their addresses and dates when they were in business.  This method of dating a photo may be the one which narrows the date best, depending on how often the photographer moved.  They may have only been at one address for short period. 

Restored and enlarge.

Circa 1880s

(P) J.P. Ball & Son  Helena, Montana

Photo dating note: special effects of this era.

J.P. (JAMES PRESLEY) BALL

Ball (1825-1905) was born free in Virginia and opened a one-room photographer’s studio in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1845. Two years later he became a traveling daguerreotypist, and in 1849 he hired his brother Thomas to operate the Cincinnati business. Ball published a pamphlet in 1855 addressing the horrors of slavery, and he opened an exhibition of enslaved people's experience. In May 1860 the Ball and Thomas Photographic Art Gallery is destroyed by tornado, but rebuilt. After the Civil War, Ball moved to Minneapolis, where he opened his own studio. In 1887 he became the official photographer of the 25th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation held in Minneapolis. He kept moving further west, first to Helena, Montana, then at the turn of the century to Seattle, where he opened a studio under the name of Globe Photo Studio.  This text came from this site on History of Black

This is another special effect found in an earlier Carte de visite Photographers.

Individual Photographers

 List of Photographers from 1830 - 1870

==1830's ============================

Louis Jacques Mande' Daguerre (1787 - 1851)

Daguerre began his life as an apprentice painter of panoramas and although his process was widely used he didn't make a direct contribution to the art of photography. 

William Fox Talbot (1800 - 1877)

Talbot's own Calotype method of photography established the basis of the modern negative - positive process. He published the first book, "The Pencil of Nature", ever to be illustrated with original photographs.

==1840's ==========================

Robert Adamson (1820 - 1847)

Robert Adamson became Scotland's first photographer and began his famous partnership with David Octavius Hill in 1843. Together their work is recognized as the most important in the early history of Photography. 

David Octavious Hill (1802 - 1870)

Hill was a well known painter and illustrator. When he first visited Robert Adamson's studio in 1843 he quickly recognized the importance of photography. Hill, often regarded as the creative force behind the partnership, had little photographic success after Adamson died. 

== 1850's ============================

Roger Fenton (1819 - 1869) 

In 1855 Roger Fenton left England for the Crimean war which was the first war to be reported in photographs. Fenton's 360 Crimean war photographs presented the war as a romantic and appealing adventure. 

==1860's ============================Go to the top

Mathew Brady (1823 - 1896)

Modern reportage of war was born and matured in the decade between 1855 and 1865 from the Crimean War to the American Civil War. Mathew Brady headed the photographic teams that accompanied the Union Army. He marked all pictures as his own although his team included Timothy O'Sullivan and Alexander Gardner. His team took over 7000 images that present pictures of destruction.

Julia Margaret Cameron (1815 - 1879) 

Until the age of 48 she was what was often viewed as a typical middle class Victorian housewife. However after her daughter gave her a camera she has become recognized as a genius of 19th century portrait photography with a remarkable understanding of the human character. British photographer known for her portraits of celebrities. Cameron's photographic career was short (about 12 years, 1864-1876).  Her work had a huge impact on the development of modern photography, especially her closely cropped portraits which are still mimicked today. If you think you have a photograph taken by her, Visit the Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for more info on her. During her career, Cameron registered each of her photographs with the copyright office and kept detailed records. Her shrewd business sense is one reason that so many of her works survive today. Another reason that many of Cameron's portraits are significant is because they are often the only existing photograph of historical figures.

Eadweard Muybridge (1830 -1904)

Muybridge went to the United States in 1852 and provided photographs showing a horse in motion enabling Leland Stanford to win a bet. In return he offered Muybridge financial support to continue with his locomotive studies using multiple cameras and time phased pictures. In 1887 more than 20,000 of his photographs making up 781 series were published in a book called "Animal Locomotion", many of them male and female nudes. 

== 1870's ============================Go to the top

Frank Meadow Sutcliffe (1853-1941)

Sutcliffe maybe regarded as a pictorialist enraptured by soft tones and picturesque scenes. His outdoor work, however, usually associated with Whitby Yorkshire, reveals the qualities of what will later be known as documentary photography. 

Oscar Rejlander (1813 - 1875) 

Rejlander became a professional portrait photographer in 1855. He was Swedish, but lived in Britain. He used combination printing techniques to produce art photographs in the style of allegoric paintings. He also produced figure and facial studies for use by other artists. 

Samples of Photography Props, Photography Trends, Customs 

1860s

Support Stand is highlighted in the restored photo behind his feet.

1870s

Fur was very popular with photographers of 1880s.  Here it is as a blanket for the baby and a rug for the Ladies.

RED LINES

This red line border and square cut edges of the photograph and the card, is another style of a photography trend of the early 1860s.

The fringed curtain was customary.

Also, the support stand holding him, just behind him by his feet?

GOLD LINES

This photo and the one below are from 1860-70s.  The tartan is present, there is no photographer stamp on it, the square corners and gold lines on the frame is common for this period and so is the fringed chair or arm rest.  There was s peek of the curtain in the original.  There are many samples of fringe furniture and curtains throughout our antique scrapbook collection on this site.

Square corner of both photograph and card mount the bustled dress, drop curtain and fringed chair.

These early 1860 - 70s photographs the size of business cards were known as Carte de vistes.  They came in pastel pink, green and yellow.

This civil war Tintype is in a very patriotic envelope with embossed stars around the edge

Palace Studios, Anaconda, Montana

Note: mid 1870s,

Fur Rug and the backdrop curtain.  This is the 2nd bustle period. The bustle was becoming smaller and the skirts were narrowing. 

Balustrades, plinth and columns.

This is the 2nd bustle period. Hoops were long gone, collars were high. The black card is indicative of the Victorian Mourning period. Ornate photographers stamp on back.  Here are samples of late 1880s.  

The photographer is present and ornate on the back.  DeWitt from Scranton PA

During the mourning period of Queen Victoria, photographers created black cabinet cards with rounded edges of the cardboard 

This is the backside of the photo that has the boy in a dress with the ring (hula hoop to us) in his hand.

Fashion Trends/Styles

Buster Brown was comic strip created in 1902.  It was a suit; knickers with a short jacket and a huge bow and a matching flat round hat.

Knickers (knickerbockers) were worn by young boys,  The knee pants were full, closed at the knee with buckles, buttons or simply cut off at the knee. The age of boys wearing knee pants gradually increased in the late 1880. By 1900 even older teenagers, boys of 18 and 19 years of age were commonly wearing knee pants. The pants worn by boys in the 20th Century have varied widely by decade and country. American boys commonly wore knickers in the 1920s and 30s, but in the 1940s increasingly wore long pants. English and European boys commonly wore short pants, but long pants became more common beginning in the 1960s. Since the 1970s American and European boys have begun wearing very similar styles of clothes, both for dress suits as well as casual wear.

Customs

 Two year old boys wore dresses and spats, up until school age. It was probably easier to keep a boy in dresses for potty training.  Their dresses were usually plain, less lace and trim. After the 1910 this practice ended.  This photo is a known because it's my husband's father, born the same year as my father in 1909.

This baby John Daigle, joined the police force in Putnam, CT. 

Circa 1911.

The tallest is a girl and two boys are up front sporting short haircuts.

The fabric of these dresses is called Tartans. Tartans were popular in 1864.

The sailor suit in 1910 or was one of the most popular outfits for German boys. Germany was at the time, building the Imperial German Navy.

Hairstyles

Ringlets or (bologna curls) braids, hair parted in the middle with hairpieces. Bangs bows, baretts, Anything you find on your photograph can be researched as you can see here.

1880s 

Victorian's were big on hair pieces.  Just make a ponytail and attach the piece.

Look at this close up of  of a late 1880s photograph with a woman's hair up in what we call now "the French twist".  I guess there is just so much you can do, casual hairstyles don't seem to change much

circa 1900 Barrel curls/Bolonga curls/Ringlets

This is a combination of Finger waves fashioned into barrel curls at the bottom.

Gibson Girls1900 -1914

 

Big hair bows, bangs cut straight across forehead and strap shoes currently being called Mary Janes, all are of the 1900 - 1920's

This is a known date of 1911. Again with the bangs cut across the forehead.

For adults think short finger waved hair like the flappers, a perfect hairdo for the skull caps pulled down to their eyes.

Known date 1925 

Photo Dating Notes:

Big Bows and hair cut straight across the forehead "bangs" were popular in the 1920's.  

Dresses were straight with the waist line dropped to the hips and mid-calf lengths.    

Even the adults wore the strap shoes (Mary Janes) seen here in both photos.

Not every one had finger waves, this straight "Page Boy" is what I called it when I wore it in the 1970's.  It's making a come back now in 2007.

 Fashion Accessories

By the mid 1800s the millinery had established itself as being on the same level as haute couture with the first important name in millinery being Caroline Reboux. Hats were designed specifically for the individual and were used to emphasize and even exaggerate their personal characteristics. 

The following paragraph came from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

The Edwardian period or Edwardian era in the United Kingdom is the period 1901 to 1910 the reign of King Edward VII.  It succeeded the Victorian period and is sometimes extended to include the period up to the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the start of WWI in 1914, or even the end of the war in 1918.  Socially, the Edwardian era was the period during which the British class system was at its most rigid, although paradoxically, changes in social thought, particularly the rising interest in socialism,  attention to the plight of the poor and the status of women, expressed in, for example, the issue of women's suffrage, together with increased economic opportunities as a result of rapid industrialization, created an environment in which there could be more social mobility and people would become more liberal. This change would be hastened in the aftermath of the first World War. The upper classes embraced leisure sports, which led to rapid developments in fashion, as more mobile and flexible clothing styles were needed. The corset was modified; its everyday wearing was gradually abandoned. 

Edwardian Hats

During the late Edwardian period hats became very much a status symbol, encouraging many more society women to develop their skills as milliners. Hats continued to be popular until the 1960s, when they underwent a steady decline. Millinery today has benefited from somewhat of a revival and the return of hat wearing is gradually becoming more common. 

1930s

Bonnie Parker from the famous "Bonnie and Cyde" sporting a beret cocked to one side, finger waves and high heel version of Mary Jane shoes.

 Parasols are found in photographs as props and are not much help for photo dating purposes  but we included them just because they are beautiful images.

1920s enjoyed parasols too.

Victorian Jewelry

Research, research, research.  When you find jewelry in your photos you may find more information than you want to read. If you are up to the challenge, know this. You can have Photos Made Perfect zoom in on that jewelry to help you discover new clues.  

The short period, known as the Belle Époque, encompassed the reign of King Edward VIII, 1901 to 1910, the son of Queen Victoria, who was already 56, when he succeeded to the throne. In contrast to Victoria's era of restraint, Edward VIII is known for ruling during a time of extravagance and sophistication. Much like when Diana, Princess of Wales, captured the publics imagination and prevailed as a style-setter, Edward's wife, Alexandra, Princess of Wales, defined style for her era. Total femininity was the era's ideal and handmade lace, silk, embroidery and feathers were the fashion choice of high society. Complimenting the look, the jewelry emphasized diamonds made to appear as fine and delicate as possible. These exquisite pieces are considered to be among the finest jewelry every made.

Improved setting and diamond cutting techniques, spearheaded by firms such as Cartier and Tiffany, were initiated during the Art Nouveau period which immediately preceded and overlapped the Edwardian period. Although this was just the beginning of the gemstone cutting progress that would be made during the Art Deco period, Edwardian jewelry capitalized on the design opportunities offered by such dramatic new cuts as the pear shape as well as the technology that allowed for invisible diamond settings. Platinum was the choice for these settings which extended and enhanced the brilliance and whiteness of the diamonds. Actually, extensive use of platinum characterized the Edwardian period. Skilled designers, understanding and taking advantage of the unique strength of platinum, were able to fabricate jewelry that was extremely thin and lightweight. These masterpieces of engineering included the era's famous lace-look pieces which showcased open work designs and scalloped patterned edges. Also popular was the mill grained setting, which gained its name from the tiny grains or beads that were created when the thin bead of metal that secured the stone was ridged and textured. This setting technique resulted in an almost invisible rim around a diamond. Another Edwardian setting technique utilized knife edge wires, thin blades of metal with the sharp edge facing upwards, so that the metal was barely visible. Edwardian jewelers reinterpreted the Victorian era bow, creating theirs in platinum with a honeycomb pattern of fine mesh. The era's distinctive delicate style was also reflected in rings, pendants and brooches. Dress necklines dictated neck ornaments of varying lengths with the "Suitor" necklace and the "Negligee" pendant uniquely Edwardian choices. The Suitor was a long necklace of either pearls or a fine chain which ended in a tassel. The Negligee pendant featured two drops of unequal length hanging from either another stone or a thin chain.

Although this was a time when wealth was openly displayed and grand jewelry was in demand, less expensive pieces of great beauty were  also enjoyed.  Gypsy rings were in demand by both men and women.  Bar pins were also popular. Other favorite jewelry items included gold chain bracelets set with turquoise and pearls as well as half hoop bangles set with pearls, diamonds or other stones and snake rings.

1860-1914

This jewelry is called Chatelaines.  The basic medallion pined to the skirt waist and at the end of each chain you would attach your hand-fan and glasses. There are four and five chains and I just don't know what else you could attach to it.  If someone know please tell us.

Jet is a fossil driftwood allied to lignite coal with a hardness ranging from 2 to 2.5 and a specific gravity ranging from 1.15 to 1.3. Jet has been used since the Bronze Age as an ornamental stone. The Hopi and other tribes of the western United States used jet in making  fetishes, beads, and inlaid jewelry. Jet reached its zenith in popularity during the reign of Queen Victoria, who wore black jet jewelry while in mourning for her late husband, Prince Albert.  Whitby England became a center for jet jewelry, jet beads, buttons, carvings, and a host of other objects.

Wallpaper in the 1860's 

The information on this topic came from "The History Buff Articles" Titled "Wallpaper manufacturing in the 1860's" by R.J. Brown.  This is an example of researching any item found in your photograph to pin down a date.  Surprise! this cabin had wallpaper in it.

Wallpaper in this era would fit into one of three general design patterns: floral, geometric (scrolls, diamond shapes, stripes, etc.) and scenic which fell into two subcategories; wall murals comprised of full-wall scenes like a forest and small scenes perhaps two or three across and then stacked along the roll.

This photograph was taken inside the log cabin. 

Restored

American-made wallpaper was predominately of the floral and geometric variety. The floral designs, however, tended to be more geometric than realistic. Colors were limited to twelve and usually only 6 to 8 different colors in a design. Some small scenics were American-produced.  They tended to be flat with little shading to give them a 3-D effect.

French-produced wallpaper, however, usually had 20 or more colors and were highly detailed and realistic. Extensive shading of elements was predominant -- a single petal, for example, would bear a darker shade of red on the bottom and a lighter shade on the top side. Also, unlike American-produced, the leaves in French floral designs would usually bear numerous veins.

Almost all of the French wallpaper was block printed by hand rather than mechanical press. For this reason, the French were able to produce designs with larger elements -- a single flower could be life size and thus cover an area larger than a baseball. To block print, rather than carving a design into a cylinder, as the term implies, the design was carved into a block anywhere from 8 to 12 inches square. A 20 color design, for example, would require 20 such blocks -- one for each color. To assure proper alignment from one color to another, the unprinted wallpaper bore tiny pin holes that corresponded to pins on each corner of the block.

According to statistics found in an article of The Furniture Gazette in 1879, stated "The people of the United States spend $8,000,000 per annum for wallpaper, their requirements being about 57,142,860 rolls or about 457,142,400 yards." The article also indicated that during this same year the retail price for wallpaper was 25 cents a roll. By these figures, it is clear that wallpaper manufacturing was a major industry in 1860's--1870's America.