Three Friends

I love how the anonymous photographer posed these three young women in this tintype that was created sometime during the 1860s. They look so comfortable around each other, and I adore the looks of confidence and contentment on their faces. If these young ladies had lived today, they probably would have been sorority sisters! One wonders what book she holds in her hands, and it suggests that these young women may have possibly been students together or perhaps even young teachers? No matter, it looks as if they definitely enjoyed each other's company. Hopefully they remained close friends for the duration of their lives.

A Mother and Her Son

This touching ambrotype of a mother tenderly wrapping her arm around a young boy, probably her son, was actually the first antique photograph I ever purchased some eight years ago at a shop in the charming town of Upton, Massachusetts. I guess for that reason alone, I have always been attached to it, but the image itself is very interesting for the details it reveals. Mom has a very large brooch pinned to her dress and she is also wearing a large gold locker around her neck which has been highlighted by the unknown photographer. She has also has ring on the third finger of her right hand and their cheeks have also been tinted red by the artist. What I like most about this picture is that although the young woman and child both have serious expressions on their faces, they obviously loved each other very much when they sat to have their "likeness" taken sometime during the late 1850s. Just who they were or where they lived in America will always remain a mystery.

The Newly Weds

As some of you may know, for about eight years now I have been collecting early photographic images, including dauguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and carte de visites, which became immensely popular just prior to and during the Civil War from 1861 through 1865. In my humble opinion, these objects are not just old photos, but they are portals to our past. The images that I will be posting here are moments frozen in time, and as far as I know, are unique and irreplaceable artifacts. What makes them often sad is that we will probably never know who these people were or what happened to them in the journey that is life. But I guess that makes them mysterious and much more intriguing. To me, the photo I have chosen for my first post, is especially poignant, as it documents a very young pair of newly weds beginning their life together during the late 1840s or very early 1850s. The beautiful young woman is purposefully displayed the wedding ring on her left hand as her handsome beau lovingly placed his arm around her shoulder. I purchased this amazing dauguerreotype in an antique store in Northwood, NH, but who knows how it got there! One can only hope it was treasured by this couple during their lives, and that they lived happily ever after.