Author Topic: Photo Date - Advice Please  (Read 3212 times)

Offline Gadget

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Re: Photo Date - Advice Please
« Reply #9 on: Tuesday 09 May 06 08:20 BST (UK) »
I had to scan and the repair the image of a callotype a few years ago, so some survived.  It did have a pencil drawing like finish which Jean says this one has, when I asked her about it. The costume is definitely 1860s though.

Gadget
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Offline PrueM

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Re: Photo Date - Advice Please
« Reply #10 on: Tuesday 09 May 06 09:36 BST (UK) »
I agree that it's later than the period when you could expect a calotype.

The pencilly drawing appearance of this print is due to the overpainting, not the inherent qualities of the original print.  This is definitely an albumen print with overpainting.  Even the pale yellowy colour suggests this.  I would not expect a calotype to look like this (incidentally the calotype is the negative; the positive it produces is a salted-paper print) - the colour is one thing that is wrong.  There were a very few calotype-producers who did commercial portraiture but these were few and far between and you would be hard pressed to find anyone doing them after about 1850.  Daguerreotypes were far more successful because their quality was much better.  After the invention of the glass plate negative, albumen prints took off and photography never looked back - and that was around 1860.

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Prue


Offline Gadget

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Re: Photo Date - Advice Please
« Reply #11 on: Tuesday 09 May 06 10:08 BST (UK) »
I agree that it's later than the period when you could expect a calotype.

 Daguerreotypes were far more successful because their quality was much better.
Cheers
Prue



OOOOhhh Prue  :o Fox Talbot would not like that statement  ;)

Wasn't there colloidian after wards???

I'd really like a detailed close up because, although Jean said it wasn't watercolour, it certainly looks tinted watercolour to me. The one I handled was far more cold grey and drawn.

When did CDV's take off - 1850s ???

Gadget
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Offline PrueM

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Re: Photo Date - Advice Please
« Reply #12 on: Tuesday 09 May 06 11:14 BST (UK) »
Nah Talbot wouldn't have minded...anyway he and Herschel invented silver-based fixed photography, it just took a while to take off (like 50 years!!) so he got his 15 minutes in the end  ;D

Collodion as an emulsion was only used on glass negs, and that was from 1851 onwards.  It wasn't used as an emulsion for positives until about 1880 (when the dry process was refined).

The style of this photo with the head and shoulders, and the soft vignetting, along with the albumen colloid, blank card and clothes, suggest late 1860s-early 1870s to me...and that's my final word on the matter  ;D

I would really like to see a close-up scan of the surface, though.  I agree it's overpainted and would like to see details of that.
Prue


Offline saddles

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Re: Photo Date - Advice Please
« Reply #13 on: Tuesday 09 May 06 11:38 BST (UK) »
Hello.

Are they not fascinating these old photo's!.

According to this website a CDV was first produced in england in 1859
so perhaps that gives some indication of the date.
http://www.cartes.freeuk.com/time/date.htm

The lady certainly looks to be in her mid to late 50's, maybe even
into her early 60's.

Mike.

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Offline JDGen

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Re: Photo Date - Advice Please
« Reply #14 on: Tuesday 09 May 06 18:01 BST (UK) »
Hi All and thanks for the interest.

I've tried to do a more detailed scan, attached is best effort (advice needed if this isn't good enough!).  I only have the album for a couple more days at best.

It looks to be thin paper pasted onto card, I can't see anything on the back, it seems to be blank white.  The finish is very matte.

Hope this helps, maybe I'll be able to claim her eventually!!

Jean
Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

CHS: Barber(Tabley) Barlow(Antrobus) Blackshaw(Lymm, Mobberley) Blease/Done/Moore(G Bud) Owen(Netherton, Tabley) Spragg/Witter(Goostrey) Youd(Frodsham) Pennell Bankes Birchall Beckett
DBY: Higginbottom(Mellor)
HRT: Gurney
HRT/BED/ESS: Verney (Markyate St)
LAN: Davenport(Bolton) Schofield/Gurney(Oldham) Lord(Heap) Quinn(Manchester) Sutcliffe(Rossendale)
NTH: Tubb/Johnson(Hellidon)Brown(Kettering)
YKS: Scott(Clapham)

Offline PrueM

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Re: Photo Date - Advice Please
« Reply #15 on: Tuesday 09 May 06 21:44 BST (UK) »
Thanks Jean, that's great.
I think it confirms my guesstimates - albumen print, carte-de-visite, post-1860 and probably late 1860s-early 70s.
Being overpainted, it's difficult to be more specific judging by the clothes because we can't see them properly, but I think she is probably the age that saddler suggests, 50s or 60s.  In that case the clothes could be considered old-fashioned and the photo style is the better indicator of date than the clothes.
Prue

Offline BIDDY18

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Re: Photo Date - Advice Please
« Reply #16 on: Thursday 11 May 06 07:15 BST (UK) »
Hope you don’t mind me having a play with your photo.

Barbara

Offline JDGen

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Re: Photo Date - Advice Please
« Reply #17 on: Thursday 11 May 06 18:36 BST (UK) »
Not at all Barbara, Thank you very much, it's great!

Jean
Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

CHS: Barber(Tabley) Barlow(Antrobus) Blackshaw(Lymm, Mobberley) Blease/Done/Moore(G Bud) Owen(Netherton, Tabley) Spragg/Witter(Goostrey) Youd(Frodsham) Pennell Bankes Birchall Beckett
DBY: Higginbottom(Mellor)
HRT: Gurney
HRT/BED/ESS: Verney (Markyate St)
LAN: Davenport(Bolton) Schofield/Gurney(Oldham) Lord(Heap) Quinn(Manchester) Sutcliffe(Rossendale)
NTH: Tubb/Johnson(Hellidon)Brown(Kettering)
YKS: Scott(Clapham)