Photo Number 365

This is a Real Photo Postcard. Brothers? Possibly..or maybe friends. One of them is off to the war. I believe this is also a photo from 1917 to 1918..although this type of postcard a Cyko was only made during 1904 to 1908.  Which means that  either this gentleman was in the Military before WWI or the card was a left over and the photographer was using them up.  This postcard has no identifying marks of any kind.

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Photo Number 364

Sister or girlfriend?  Someone special is getting their photo taken with a soldier.  He seems proud she seems matter of fact.  I wonder if he made it back?  This photo was more than likely taken in 1917 or 1918.

The United States was in the First World War in actual combat for only seven and a half months and during that time 116,000 were killed and 204,000 were wounded.

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Photo Number 363

Today we will begin looking at some forgotten old soldier photos. Veterans Day is next week..but it used to be called Armistice Day and it was November 11, 1918 that The Great War ended.

World War I or The Great War (that is what the old people used to call it)  began in 1914.  The United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917.  Many of the WW I photos of American soldiers are from 1917 and 1918.

This is a Real Photo Postcard of a WWI soldier.  It is an Azo postcard with triangles pointing up.  They were made from 1904 to 1918..so this one fits in perfectly for our 1917 to 1918 dates.

I am not an expert with Uniforms or Wars..so if anyone has anything to add please leave me a comment and I will add the info to the original post.

I find it very sad that these soldiers photos have been forgotten.

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Photo Number 362

This is the last of my “Gone with the Wind” photos for now.  I got this one up at Solway. It was a dollar.  Bob and Cheryl run a little Antique /Junk shop in an old dilapidated garage in Solway, MN during the summer.  They gave me their home phone number just in case I want to look at any photos during the winter…I just need to give them a call and they will open up no matter what the weather is like. I have been there three times during the summer..each time I find something different and unique.  One day it was real warm and his wife came over with ice cream bars..they are a friendly couple.
Anyway back to the photo..
  What do suppose the things sewn to or hanging from her shoulders were.  What do they mean?  Perhaps they are just an adornment?  She is a lovely young lady!  I will date this photo about 1870.
This is a CdV or a Cartes d’ Visite that is about 2 1/2 inches by 4 inches..and they were often used as visiting or calling cards.  There were albums that some people purchased to keep their CdV’s in.  I ran onto one for sale..unfortunately it was too expensive for me to purchase, I will keep looking!

Tomorrow we will begin about ten days of photographs of Soldiers.

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Update from Norkio about the trim on this dress:
The trim is just that - trim. It looks like it is attached at three points to the shoulder seam - in the front, at the top of the shoulder and in the back. At first I thought they were epaulettes, but I can't see any shadow indicating a separate sleeve cap or anything like that. The dress is very plain, she may have been coming out of mourning and allowed some adornment, or simply loved a certain color of fabric and didn't have much trim. This appears to be an 1860s dress, maybe 1865-1868 is my guess.
Thanks Norkio..you expertise on these dresses is appreciated!! 

Photo Number 361

This is a CdV that I purchased at an Antique Shop in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the price was 2 dollars. 
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.

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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.

Photo Number 360

This is the photo that was purchased in the same booth as yesterdays photo at an Antique Mall in Motley, Minnesota.  This one was fifty cents too.

Here is the back of this card..there is a name.

H. H. Matteson. I did find an H. H. Matteson who was 38 at the time of the 1860 census..he was a miner that was born in Rhode Island and was in California in Eureka Township. Tis pure speculation on my part if this is really him or not.  I found a few other H H’s but none fit the time of this photo which I believe is 1860 to 1870..and I think the gentleman is between 30 and 40 years old.  Perhaps a relative will pop up someday! Or this card could be anyone with a friend named H. H. Matteson.  This is a CdV and it has slightly rounded corners..most likely from wear.

They must have cut these images out by hand..this one in particular is not very straight on the card.

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Photo Number 359

I happened upon a few very old CdV’s. This one is from 1860 to 1870.  The dress has almost pagoda style sleeves and she is wearing a snood or a decorative hairnet. I purchased this photo for 50 cents at an Antiques shop in Motley, Minnesota.  I purchased two that day in the same booth..they may go together..maybe not.  They are kind of “Gone with the Wind” style photos.
I have four of these photos to share this week and then we will begin a series of old photos of Soldiers.

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Update from Norkio:
This is most definitely an 1860s vintage photo, possibly the late 60s. At the end of the 60s, the skirts were still full, but elliptical, meaning the fullness was heading toward the rear, and if you looked at it from above, instead of a round circle, you would see an elliptical shape more round in the back. The sleeve seams are dropped about 2-4 inches below the natural shoulder which is classic 1860s styling. You've got a real find here concerning her hair dressing. There are people who insist that women did not wear hair nets (the word snood did not exist at that time) that were visible, however we have photographic and extant evidence clearly showing decorated hair nets. Your photo is a triumph for those of us who wear hair nets with our historical clothing - they did exist and your photo proves it! :-)