The Lost Beauty

This tintype of a young woman during the Civil War period has to be one of my very favorite historic images that I have come across over the years. It is special not only for its crispness and extraordinary detail of her dress and cape, but it is a really powerful image in other ways. The way she seems to hover or float over the floor with the gigantic hoopskirt amazes me. What I also find mesmerizing is the piercing gaze but look of innocence and tranquility on her face. The unknown photographer who took this remarkable picture also lightly tinted her cheeks a rosy color after the image was taken, which only adds to the charm this young woman clearly possessed. What makes me sad is that this young lady must have been near and dear to someone's heart, but there is absolutely nothing on the back of the picture to tell us who she was or where she lived. The black line you can see around the woman's figure indicates that the image was originally placed in a brass mat or preserver for a long time, but sometime during its journey, it was taken out of the case. This lost lady probably never could have imagined that 140 years later, her striking photo would survive to be marveled at and preserved by new generations.