Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Photo Number 404

Lanesboro Minn photo

This is another photo from the Antique Shop in Royalton, Minnesota. It is not marked.  I believe it is one of those coming of age photos..a graduation from High School or maybe from Normal Teachers Training.  I bought this photo because of the young ladies skirt.  I thought that the sections at the bottom were interesting..could this dress be lengthened or shortened?   It appears that she is wearing something around her neck..perhaps a ribbon or a very tight necklace and she also has her watch pinned to her bodice. This photo was most likely taken in 1904 or 1910.

The photographer T L Bersagel of Lanesboro, Minnesota was born in Norway in 1871, he learned photography in the Hanson Studio in Lanesboro before he purchased the studio in 1887.  If my math is correct he would have been just 16 years old then. Seems awfully young to me, I wonder if the information is correct or if someone transcribed his birth date incorrectly.   He was active as a photographer from 1887 to 1900 and then again in the years 1904, 1910 and 1914. He sold his studio in 1915.

Thanks for stopping by, do come again. Tomorrow we will begin  looking at a couple of old photos that were sent as Christmas Greetings:)

I had a small surgery yesterday afternoon to repair my thumb. I had a “Trigger Thumb” and it was locking out of it’s joint causing me pain.  The surgery went well and I can still type. I scheduled a few automatic postings just in case:)

7 comments:

  1. I found places that say T. L. (Theodore L.) Bersagel was born in 1857. That seems more likely?

    I always enjoy looking at pretty young girls and the fancy wooden chairs. Too bad we've no hint who she might be.

    He was active "again in the years 1904, 1910 and 1914"? What was he doing in between? Seems like a long time to go between "takin' pichures"!

    I hope your thumb heals up quickly!!

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  2. Glad the surgery went well and hope your thumb is back to typing order soon.

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  3. Thank you for the update on your surgery. Hope you continue to do very well.

    This is a pretty photo.

    Take care Connie.

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  4. Thanks for the wonderful blog. Get well, soon! Happy Holidays!

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  5. Today's lunch hour uncovered several things about T L Bersagel:

    He was likely born in 1857. He sold his photography business to Mathias O. Bue in 1912. He then died in in 1913 (Minnesota Death records). So I suspect this picture was taken late in his career but before 1912.

    From "Lanesboro, Minnesota: Historic Destination By Don Ward, Theodore St Mane, Ted St. Mane" page 101. On page 102 is a picture of the Main Street photography studio nicely painted, nice sidewalks, but with a rutted dirt street.

    http://books.google.com/books?id=5ssGUCA9gTUC

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  6. wow, Connie, I'm glad the surgery went well! Any kind of surgery is exhausting, so take care of yourself.

    My take on the dress is that the pleats are decorative only. By this age, the lady would not expect to grow any taller, plus those white floaty dresses always seem to feature tons of pleating. It's hard to see on this one, but if you follow the seams up toward the waist, there are small pleats next to the seams, to the inside of the skirt, right at the hip line, this would help shape the skirt without having to cut a lot of pieces. Lovely technique that I will remember for future projects.

    Norkio

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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