Hello again Prue,
I wanted to mention that Emily Smith/Smyth Johnson is reported to be born in 1866 in London, England although I have no birth certificate to back that up and her husband was born in 1865 in Dunlavin, Co. Wicklow, Ireland.
Photo 1 (Ornate Frame Photo): Could she really be 33-35 when this photo was taken? She was married in 1886 and first child was born in 1887 and I think that the photo was taken when she was in her late teens. She appears to be petite and her husband was 5"4 as per his military records. Her hair and eyes look dramatically darker than in the second photo. Her ears are also pierced with hoops. Was that the norm? I thought that victorian women wore earrings with tiny screws that held the earring tight to the skin.
Photo 2: In this photo her eldest is on the right (born in 1887) and her second is on the left (born in 1890).
This additional photo is of the woman who my grandmother thought was her grandmother Emily. Her mother said that her father brought this photo with him from Ireland and that it was of his mother. The plot thickens as we now have no idea who she might be. The photo is soiled but I'd love to have someone clean it up for me if they have a free moment.
A) Can someone date this photo?
B) Could this be the same woman as in the previous photos that I've posted or even a relative?
A genealogist once told me that one thing that never changes is our ears and that you can rely on that to find various photos of one person.
Now that the cap badge has come to light I’ll do a bit of investigating before I reply.
Your help is greatly appreciated. Someday the mystery will finally be solved.
Take care and keep smiling!
Claddagh