Monday, February 22, 2010

Photo Number 116

Three girls, sisters more than likely.  The photographer is Helgeson of Lake Mills Iowa.  We had a previous Helgeson photo( Photo Number 2)  I have no idea if that means anything or not.  This photo came from a local antique shop.  There are no names on it.  I wonder if they did each others hair..or if their Mother was responsible for these up do's?   I will guess that this is from 1905..what do you guys all think?

We are getting some action on photo Number 103..I love it when that happens!
Thanks for stopping by, do come again:)
Update*** 
From Abra: I also found a piece on the history of Lake Mills, Iowa, and it appears that T.J. Helgeson built a photography business in 1879, which became a rooming house in 1911 (so we might assume that the photographer was in business about that long). Given the frame of time the photography shop was in business, all estimates thus far are in that time range for both photos.

6 comments:

  1. Pretty girls and they do look like sisters. I love their clothes and their hairstyles. 1905 is probably a very good guess.

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  2. Yes They all look like sisters. They have that Gibson girl hair look going on. They are dressed alike too.

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  3. Here's my two cents, for what it's worth.;-) I am not an expert in period styles, but I can compare to what I've seen in some of my own family photos. I also found a piece on the history of Lake Mills, Iowa, and it appears that T.J. Helgeson built a photography business in 1879, which became a rooming house in 1911 (so we might assume that the photographer was in business about that long). Given the frame of time the photography shop was in business, all estimates thus far are in that time range for both photos. Norkio thinks photo # 2 was around 1885. I think these girls have a similar style blouse to that of the girl in photo 2, but I think your estimate of 1905 for this photo fits with pictures I've seen of my great-aunt's 1904 wedding(clothing and hairstyles). I opened the pictures side by side, and if you look closely, you'll notice the backdrop of the photos is the same, just a bit more muted in one. The other thing I noticed was the similar facial structure of the female subjects in both photos(oval face and similar noses), although the older girls' faces are a bit more plump. My uneducated guess is that the photos were taken at the same time and the subjects are somehow related, thus the reason they ended up together in the same pile of unforgotten photos in an antique store--thank you for giving them a new life and a new purpose!! I would guess these are around turn of the century, but I am awaiting Norkio's expertise on clothing.

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  4. Thanks Abra! They could be related..I would really like to poke around in some of the Historical Societies of the counties these photos were from..that would be interesting:)

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  5. I had to go back and look at photo 2. I only thought the boy in photo 2 was wearing a suit based on the 1885 Little Lord Fauntleroy story but I don't know how ling that was fashionable. These ladies definitely are late century or 1900s based on their hair styles. It is also possible the sittings were done at different times because the embossing is in a different location on each folder. I think it would be great to involve the historical society. I hope you can find a contact to help you!

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  6. I posted on photo #2, but to reiterate, TJ Helgeson (Thor) was my great-great grandfather, and according to the Lake Mills business records, his studio was active 1884-1885. My dad still has the large format camera that he probably used for at least some of the pictures. I am going to restore it and try to use it assuming all the main parts are there. Developing will be a challenge but totally do-able. -Larry

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Hi, Thanks for the comments, your input on these old photos is appreciated! English only please! All comments will be moderated! Connie