Photo Recognition

[DaveDave]

Can any one help me identify what this ancestor of mine is wearing?  It'll be dated in the mid to late 1800's in Scotland.

[PrueM]

Hi DaveDave

Very interesting!  I can't make it out but I wonder whether it's something to do with the Aesthetic Dress movement of the latter 1800s (1880s-90s)?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artistic_Dress_movement

Cheers
Prue

[JDJames89]

Do you happen to know this particular ancestors birth and death dates. This is a very interesting photograph. It is indeed a very interesting dress. I think maybe this photo isn't as old as it appears off the bat, but of course that would depend on when the woman died.

[PrueM]

I did wonder if the photo looked older than it is - I have a suspicion it's possibly early 20th century.  It would really, really help to see the whole thing (card and all, and back if there's anything on it) in colour, in order to accurately date it, given that the dress is so unusual.

[Ruskie]

My first thought after looking at the photo, and before reading any of the other replies, was 1920's but that is just a very wild guess. 

[DaveDave]

Many thanks everyone.  This lady died in 1888, so looking at her in the photo, I imagine it must've been taken not too many years before that.  I'm not sure when she was born but it would've been around 1800-1810-ish.  Hope to hear more from you.

[DaveDave]

All I have is the scan of the photo so not sure what might have been on the back etc.  It was taken in Cupar, Fife.