Can you help me identify these relatives from the Midlands?
QI have these two photos of family members, probably from the Coventry area, but I have no idea who they are and so dating them would be of great help. I would also like to know which type/format of photograph these represent. David Birch
AThese formal studio photographs represent an early format, before commercial portraits became widely popular. It’s unclear from the scans whether these are daguerreotypes, or ambrotypes. Daguerreotypes, introduced in the 1840s, were struck directly onto a silvered copper plate, had a mirror-like surface, and when tilted fluctuated between a negative and positive image: expensive in Britain, they were rare and obsolete by c1860. Ambrotypes (also known as ‘collodion positives’), widely available from the mid-1850s, comprised the original glass negative backed with black lacquer or velvet and made to resemble a positive photo. They were more affordable, but indoor studio ambrotypes became outmoded during the early 1860s.
Many more ambrotypes than daguerreotypes survive, so your photos are probably ambrotypes, but this summary should help you to identify the correct format from the originals. Fragile, one-off photographs, both types, were set into a metal surround or ‘mat’, layered under glass and protected in a folding case or framed, as here. The ornate chased brass mountings suggest at least mid-1850s. A year between c1855 and the turn of the 1860s is also suggested by the clothing. The lady wears a full-skirted day gown of fashionable checked/striped fabric, her white neck bow, pleated bodice and closed ‘bishop’ sleeves all highly typical of the era. The man’s slender dark frock coat, deep V-shaped neckline revealing the white shirt front and black silk cravat also closely reflect mid-century modes.
Jayne Shrimpton
1PRINTED LABEL?
Daguerrotypes and ambrotypes rarely display photographic information, although occasionally a case lid was embossed with studio name/address, or a printed label might be slipped inside or attached to the reverse.
2BRIDAL ACCESSORY
Your female ancestor wears a close-fitting headdress with floral ornamentation at the sides, and suspended ribbons, streamers, or ‘lappets’ – an accessory usually associated with brides or married ladies.
3STIFF POSES
The distinctive portrait compositions of these two subjects, each of them seated stiffly facing directly forward in a three-quarter-length pose against a blank background, are characteristic of most early studio photographs.
4COMPANION PIECES
These photographs may have been taken together and conceived as a pair or ‘companion’ portraits. Their ornate, chased brass mountings and leather/wooden frames are similar, and their subjects’ dress is of comparable date.
5A
REASON FOR BEING
The couple look to be in their 50s or thereabouts, and – assuming they’re man and wife – were probably photographed to record a second or third marriage, or, more likely, a milestone wedding anniversary.