An examination and explanation of clues to establish the
date of 19th century photographs.
October 12, 2014
About the Case Studies
Photo Facts
Photo Type
Mounted Card
Card Size
4" x 5.75"
Card Color
Charcoal
Card Edges
Beveled
Border
Two thin
Front Imprint
None
Photo Technology
Matte Collodion
PhotoTree case studies look at typical vintage photographs and explain the individual clues that help date the photo.
These examples can help genealogists learn the skills that will help date their own photos.
An estimated date (if one is not available) is assigned a +/- number of years it could be. Dating old photos is a science that provides answers usually within 2 - 6 years of when the photo was taken.
This mounted photograph is a great example of the transition from 19th century photograph to 20 century versions. It is interesting that photograph technology and styles changed dramatically within a few years surrounding 1900.
Card Mount
Photographic paper still needed to be mounted (glued) onto stiff cards to keep them from curling. The standard cabinet card that was popular from the 1870s was now disappearing rapidly. Different sizes, thickness, textures, and colors were now abundant. Unique traits of the time were sharp, square corners, and very dense (stiff) material. Black, dark gray or charcoal were very popular.
Date: 1899
The photo was dated in period writing, December 1899.
Photo Hue
In the late 1890s new photograph paper was introduced that exhibited rich black and white hues. The sepia tone from albumen paper soon disappeared.
Dresses
Both the woman's and girl's dress are typical of the late nineties. The sleeves are still full and loose, but are not the large balloon-like versions of the mid-90s.
Woman's Hair Style
Her hair is in the 'Gibson Girl' look that became popular around the turn of the century, then dominated style throughout the first decade of the new century.
Gibson Girl Look
One of the primary traits of The 'Gibson Girl' look was vey stylized hair, usually showing an upswept front, which many times included intricate sculpting of hair on top of the head.
This style grew out of fashion drawings from Charles Dana Gibson in the late 1890s.
A contest in the early 1900s searched for the perfect Gibson Girl look. The contest furthered the career of the winner, Belgian actress Camille Crawford.
Camille Crawford
(Library of Congress)
Past Cases
You can become an expert at analyzing photographs.
Much of the information used to analyze this photograph is covered in the Identification section of this web site. In addition, comparison to similar yet dated photographs in the Gallery section will help confirm the estimates. Even greater detail, organized for this type of research is available in PhotoTree.com's books. Learn More.