Possible date please?

[mystcarrie]

This is not the original.   Could someone please enlighten me as to a date of this photo.  The fabric in the ladies dress throws me off.  Also, any hints in the photo would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

[Little Nell]

1850s

Certainly very early in photography terms.  She seems to be wearing something approaching a crinoline, dropped shoulders on the dress with slightly fuller sleeves near the wrist,  and his hair style.  I suppose it could be 1860s if she is preserving her wardrobe!  But no later (in my humble opinion).

Nell

[mystcarrie]

Well thank you so much Nell.   Very interesting!.   I have no idea who the photo is, only that it is family.  I'm thinking that perhaps a date may help to indentify.

Any other takers?

Carrie

[dennford]

     A couple of these have been posted recently, so I'd say 1850-60. I wont say more because I know that when Prue sees it she will be able to give you  some usefull info'. Plus, I wont feel a fool if I get things wrong.

                            Denn

[PrueM]

 
Denn you're a dag  You can say what you want, you're usually right anyway! 

Carrie, it looks like a "wet collodion positive on glass", sometimes known as an ambrotype.  We had a discussion about them here: http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,124597.0.html not long ago.

It probably dates from the 1850s-early 1860s...I'll have a better look at the clothes and get back to you if I can narrow it down a bit more!

Cheers
Prue

[PrueM]

P.S. It's almost definitely a wedding photograph - look at the way the lady is showing off her wedding ring, and it's been picked out in gold paint too.

[mystcarrie]

Thanks guys for the useful information.  We perhaps narrowed it down to a wedding photo mid 1800's. I was thinking the fabric in the ladies dress rather odd for that time period.  Would there be any hints in the fashion as to the country of origin?.   
I'm looking forward to what you might come up with Prue.

Carrie

[PrueM]

Hi Carrie,
This is a difficult one.  Usually you can rely on the ladies to be the most up to date with their fashions, but in this case she's wearing a most unusual one-piece dress, apparently with no corset and no big petticoats or skirt frame.  I think I can use the man's appearance though - full facial hair and the stiff little bow tie point to a late 1850s date.
I think I need to look at it some more to be more definite.
Do you know where it is probably from? 
Prue

[old rowley]

probably totally wrong but it puts me in mind of mid 1800's America photographs for some reason they have a more "relaxed" formallity about them.


old rowely