These carte de visites of John Clement and Olivia (Brown) Clifford and their children were taken in June of 1864. This seemingly happy little family didn’t remain little for long. And when it came to happy…I’ll let you decide. Before we get into the Clifford’s life story let’s take a moment to appreciate this tattered … More Whiskey and Beer
Spoiler…I’ve since found proof that this is not Sarah (Thomas) Selleck but I’m leaving this post as it was originally written. Click here to see a photo of the true Sarah. This cased ambrotype was picked up by a fellow collector in Connecticut. I loved the subject’s expression and pose and decided to add it … More Sarah A. Thomas…Is it you?
Although I was unable to identify this carte de visite (CDV) I wanted to share it in case a relative might someday happen upon it. Written on the reverse “Susie died July 6th 1867.” The photographer was Thompson Gallery in Albany, New York. Known as The Sun Picture Tax, the government placed a luxury tax on … More Susie Who
It was during a conversation with my aunt about family history that I heard the words, “Little Gordon is a murderer.” She was relaying a statement made by my grandfather, Wesley Henshaw, and it’s these words that started my investigation into my cousin Gordon G. Henshaw and the 1959 cold case disappearance of his wife, … More Little Gordon is a Murderer
I happened upon these three tintypes, listed individually, in the Glassing Etsy shop. As soon as I noticed that the handwriting on all three was the same I had to purchase them. Without a location, I knew that the only hope of them being identified was to keep them together. So, what was the sitters’ … More Three’s Company
I purchased this tintype on eBay. The label on the reverse names the young women (counterclockwise) as “Sadie Sildrael, Julie Catlin, and Mattie Catlin,” and it notes that Mattie had a “crippled hand.” The names are also written directly on the tintype but that writing was impossible to capture in photos and scans. In this … More She Bore The Burdens
Jennie Murray was born about 1859 in Brooklyn, New York. She came with her parents, John and Jermana (nee Griffith) Murray, to Milwaukee sometime before the 1870 census records were collected. Her father was an immigrant from Scotland who worked as a sailor and a watchman. At the age of 22, Jennie married William Hawkins … More The Compositor
These carte de visites, of a girl and her stepmother, are in rough condition which makes me wonder where they’ve been and whose hands they’ve gone through over the last one hundred and fifty years. The girl, Mary E. Hurd, was born July 1, 1848, and grew up in Yates County, New York where her father, … More Teenage Angst
Click on the image to view larger I love a group photo, and my favorite antique photo format is the carte de visite, also known as the cdv. I picked this one up in the VictorianPhoto etsy shop. I enjoy studying the sitters’ faces, and body language, some seem so relaxed in front of the … More Students of Union School
the rescued photo 