Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Photo Number 361

JL Fox Grand Rapids antiques
This is a CdV that I purchased at an Antique Shop in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the price was 2 dollars. 
JL Fox Grand Rapids antiques1 This is the back of the CdV. I believe it says J.L. Fox Northfield, Minn  86/2x99??   Photographic Gallery Wilmington, VT. B. F. Childs, Operator.
I do not think that this ladies name is J. L. Fox..I think he ( J. L. Fox) may have been the recipient of the calling card..from far away.  I did find a J. L. Fox that lived in Hastings, Minnesota in 1870..who was from Maine.
B. F. Childs was born in Wilmington, Vermont in 1821, he opened a studio in Marquette, Michigan in 1860. His father could have been a photographer..or he could have sold his studio and left many of his cards behind to be used by someone else. 
The card gives us no more clues..it’s edges were cut to fit in an album.  Perhaps Norkio can tell us more about the dress. It has dropped shoulders and is plaid.. and there appears to be a large hoop under that skirt.
I will guess that this photo is from 1860 to 1870.

Thanks for stopping by, do come again:)

Thanks! Norkio for this info on the dress:
This photo is definitely 1860s. For one, the corners of the CdV tell us that with the squared corners and the square border. The thin inner and thicker outer border lines were popular around 1864. This young woman is wearing what looks like a gathered front bodice, meaning instead of it being darted for a smooth bodice, it is gathered to the waist. It's typically an older woman's style as it was most popular in the 1850s, but she may have gotten a hand me down, or liked the style herself. OR she could be still young enough to wear loose fitting dresses, moving toward her "coming out" age, but not quite there. Her skirt shape is still round, so I'm going to shoot at 1864-1868 as the year. I wonder what fabric she made her dress from? Cotton wasn't used so much as it is today, so likely wool of some kind, maybe linen.

5 comments:

  1. I love this period in history. A very nice photo Connie.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This photo is definitely 1860s. For one, the corners of the CdV tell us that with the squared corners and the square border. The thin inner and thicker outer border lines were popular around 1864. This young woman is wearing what looks like a gathered front bodice, meaning instead of it being darted for a smooth bodice, it is gathered to the waist. It's typically an older woman's style as it was most popular in the 1850s, but she may have gotten a hand me down, or liked the style herself. OR she could be still young enough to wear loose fitting dresses, moving toward her "coming out" age, but not quite there. Her skirt shape is still round, so I'm going to shoot at 1864-1868 as the year. I wonder what fabric she made her dress from? Cotton wasn't used so much as it is today, so likely wool of some kind, maybe linen.

    Norkio

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  3. I'm finally going to ask you what a "CdV" is. Cool photo as usual, by the way! Judy

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  4. Hi Judy, A CdV is a small card about 2 1/2 inches wide by 4 inches long..similar to what we would call a wallet photo. The photo is mounted on a stiff cardstock. It is a type of calling card, when you visited someone you left them your card. The actual name is Cartes de Viste a French word ..I shorten it to CdV.:)

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  5. If this was addressed to the J. L. Fox I see in the 1870 US census - he was 33 years old at the time and living with a family named Cain. I wonder if he was Mrs. Cain's brother or a border?

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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