MY DAGUERREOTYPES ~ HAIRSTYLE ~ FINGER CURLS

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Daguerreotype photograph of unknown woman with pen ~ ca. 1840-50s

Finger curl She looks like Emma Stone, if you look closely, her hands and face are differing skin tones. In some instances a photographer would apply a powder to cover freckles. This young lady possibly had red or an auburn shade to her hair.

The only other things I know are that I bought it from someone in Lewiston CA and that the hallmark is Rinhart #29 (lamb JP, 1847-1854). The case and mat suggest 1849-1852. It had original seals but I resealed it with P90 under the original glass. I did not do anything to the plate other than blow off dust. Enclosed for your files is my scan of the naked plate.

This image is a portrait of a woman, likely from the 1850s, which aligns with the query "1850." This type of photograph is often an ambrotype or daguerreotype, popular photographic processes during that era. 

• Dating the Photograph: The query "1850" directly relates to the approximate date of the photograph, which is consistent with the fashion and photographic techniques prevalent in the mid-19th century. 
• Fashion of the Era: The subject's attire, particularly the fitted bodice with a shorter waist point and the style of the sleeves and collar, reflects typical women's fashion of the 1850s. 
• Victorian Era Fabrics
• The Victorian era (roughly 1837-1901) saw a variety of fabrics used in fashion, with choices often influenced by purpose, social status, and trends, including specific requirements for mourning attire. 
• Answer:
• Common fabrics during the Victorian era included:
• Wool: Various types of wool were widely used, such as serge (heavy), bombazine (often wool and silk blend), alpaca fiber, delaine (fine combing wool), and merino (thinner/softer). Wool was favored for its warmth and durability, especially for daytime wear and winter clothing. 
• Silk: Silk was a luxurious fabric, used for items like crape (crepe) for mourning attire, and also for more elaborate garments like evening wear, often in shot silk varieties. 
• Cotton: Cotton was versatile and used for various purposes, including underskirts, linings, and prints. Bombazine could also be made with cotton. 
• Other materials: Less common but still present were materials like velveteen, sateen, and taffeta, particularly for specific garment types or decorative elements. Photographic Medium: The appearance of the image suggests it is an early photographic process like an ambrotype or daguerreotype, which were common around 1850. For example, one search result identifies a similar image as an "1850's ambrotype of Sally Anglin.

The dress in the image is a Victorian dress, characterized by several features common to the mid-to-late 19th century. 

Characteristics of the Victorian Dress in the Image:

High Neckline and Collar: The dress features a high neckline with a white collar, typical of daytime wear during the Victorian era, often accompanied by lace or tatted details. 

Structured Bodice: The fitted bodice with vertical stripes and what appears to be cording or trim suggests the structured silhouettes popular in Victorian fashion, often achieved with corsetry underneath. 

Wide Sleeves with Undersleeves: The wide sleeves, possibly "pagoda sleeves," worn over white undersleeves (engageantes) are a distinctive element of 1860s Victorian fashion. 

Accessories: The presence of a brooch at the collar and rings on the fingers are common accessories that completed Victorian ensembles. 

I just purchased this daguerreotype  of a freckled girl with finger curls. I think the technique of powdering to cover freckles was used. The dress is tailored with care to suggest a proficient seamstress with an ability to line the stripes up in a proper proportion.

Based on the case, dating is 1848-1853. The young lady in your quarter plate shares a few features with this young lady. I thought you would enjoy seeing this sixth plate daguerreotype for a comparison of the styles.

Marla Todd finger curl https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16wiXaoC7j/

When Frances Wardale Stevenson was born on 27 May 1822, in Cambridge, Washington, New York, United States, her father, William Stevenson, was 50 and her mother, Frances McAllister, was 37. She died on 14 January 1873, at the age of 50, and was buried in Woodlands Cemetery, Cambridge, Washington, New York, United States.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/125519142/frances-wardale-stevenson

https://youtu.be/nryQILsqYLw?si=riXvrLSYp0HJfR4_

https://www.costumecocktail.com/2015/06/04/woman-with-book/

silk taffeta bodice with center front closure, self fabric buttons on bodice; vee waist; high neckline with white collar and what seems like a ribbon bow with round brooch; widening quarter length sleeves with passementerie trim and broad black lace attached on the sleeves, flowing over the widening white undersleeves with small ruffle trim; the hair is parted in the middle, has side waves and rolled-in on the sides, partly covering the ears; ribbon bow wristlets; chain necklace; gold earrings; three rings; seated half figure with hand resting in lap and holding a book or almanac, other arm leaning on table. I love how you can see the outlines of the chest-flattening corset underneath the tight fabric of the bodice and the dreamy expression of the young woman or teenage girl.

https://www.costumecocktail.com/2015/06/04/woman-with-book/

Woman with finger curl 1848-1855

Source: Fine Dags, https://finedags.com/product/sixth-plate-726/

Woman with finger curls, case with  1848-1855

Woman with finger curls, 1848-1855

Source:  Fine Dags, https://finedags.com/product/sixth-plate-1074/

Woman with finger curls, 1848-1855

Woman with powdered face, Ruby Lane

Photographer:  August Washington

Title: Dress

Date: ca. 1850

Culture: British

Medium: silk, flax

Credit Line: Purchase, Irene Lewisohn and Alice L. Crowley Bequests, 1983

Abigail (Abbie) C Bryant was born about 1818 in Seneca, New York, her father, Benjamin Bryant and her mother, Elizabeth Beers. She married Abijah Weed Barnum in 1848 in Ovid, New York. She died on 28 Nov 1882 in Geneva, Ontario, New York and was buried in Weedsport Rural Cemetery, Weedsport, Cayuga County, New York.

https://dyingcharlotte.com/2017/06/23/fashion-fix/#:~:text=This%20circa%2D1851%20daguerreotype%2C%20now%20in%20my%20collection%2C,the%20shoulder%20caps%2C%20and%20the%20sleeve%20cuffs.

Pemberton, William M.

Noting he was "late of Waterbury, Conn.," he manufactured rolled plate metals, daguerreotype plates, etc., in Newark, N.J., 1852-1860. In 1852-1853 he advertised his factory at the corner of McWhorter and Hamilton Streets, and noted the factory had been twice destroyed by fire in two years. This was the first ad located, but the same notice about the fire continued to run through 1859. He moved his factory to #3 Railroad Avenue in 1853. 

Additional finger curls.

https://finedags.com/product/sixth-plate-726/

https://finedags.com/product/sixth-plate-1074/

Marla Todd finger curl https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16wiXaoC7j/

When Frances Wardale Stevenson was born on 27 May 1822, in Cambridge, Washington, New York, United States, her father, William Stevenson, was 50 and her mother, Frances McAllister, was 37. She died on 14 January 1873, at the age of 50, and was buried in Woodlands Cemetery, Cambridge, Washington, New York, United States.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/125519142/frances-wardale-stevenson