Tuesday, January 10, 2017

An Eighteenth Century Maid And A Twenty First Century Blogger


The other day I bough a small job lot of Victorian photographs on eBay, and when the parcel arrived there was a broken glass slide within them. It wasn't advertised as part of the original lot so I had no cause for complaint about the breakage; and scanning technology easily allows bits of glass to be sewn back together again. What emerged from the scan was a fabulous old photograph of a Victorian woman holding a book. I wouldn't care to speculate as to the date of the photograph although it must easily be 150 years old. The broach around her neck looks like it has been hand-coloured on the original glass plate. All in all it is a wonderful find and evidence that a lady - who must have been born in the eighteenth century - can still send a pulse of excitement through the tired bones of a twenty first century blogger.

6 comments:

  1. What an exciting 'free gift'.

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  2. A wonderful find and so much character in the portrait. From your eye- catching title I was expecting a young girl, but I see the woman is not wearing any rings on her left hand, but is that one on her right hand?

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  3. A real treasure and given to just the right person. ScotSue's observation on the woman's ring made me check the buttons on her dress. I believe you'd scanned the negative in reverse, Alan, as the buttonholes/buttons are oriented as in masculine garb. The open side for feminine buttons should be on her left. In any case it is a remarkably fine portrait and shows a woman who's birth occurred well before the age of photography, maybe 1790s.

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  4. She is SO covered up. Makes you think how odd life is now, now that I can dress for comfort and/or warmth/coolth without bothering about conventions. But for centuries of course women in this country would be well covered up just like this woman.

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  5. Looks more 19th century garb.

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