This week's Sepia Saturday prompt shows a lady playing a
harp. Was she a famous harpist or is the harp merely a prop? I have no idea but
thinking about it reminded me of the time my mother in law purchased a portrait
sitting for Terry and I. As some of you already know I dislike having my
photograph taken so I wasn't looking forward to it. When we arrived, the
photographer spent a great deal of time arranging us in such a way that my
hands (which he declared the most elegant he had ever seen) were evident in
every shot. I'm sure he used the same compliment over and over again,
but it worked and the photographs turned out well.
Smiling faces thanks to elegant hands!
Some years later we purchased a collection of Carte-de-visite photographs. Neither Terry nor I had much interest in them, but we did like the album they came in. Luckily, we kept both the album and the photographs and as our fascination with family history grows so we've begun to appreciate them. Looking at them now it's interesting to note how many of the sitters are holding props. Are those props employed as a distraction rather like the photographer distracted me?
Books are evident in many of the images;
The design on the back of this card is almost as nice as the
image on the front.
Holding a photograph while being photographed was another popular choice.
Both of these examples were produced by W. Vick Portrait
& Landscape Photographer, London Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, United Kingdom. The two ladies appear to be sitting in the
same chair and holding the same photograph. They also have very similar
hairstyles so it could be the same woman photographed at different times.
This was one of my favourite images until I took a closer look.
What on earth is wrong with the cat? One ear appears to be transparent or missing,
and its eyes are very strange...
Could this be a post-mortem image as mentioned over at Sepia
Saturday a couple of weeks ago? The woman looks very much alive but there
is something strange about the material of her dress (see above) - the more I
look at it the more it reminds me of Miss Havisham from Great Expectations.
Alfred S Fisk artist & Photographer was responsible for
the following image. He offered copies enlarged to life size at any time. He
also advertised views of churches, mansions, etc., to order in any part of the
country!
A couple of the Carte-de-visite images in the album
It's now time to hand you over to Sepia Saturday
What a clever take on this prompt, especially for those of us struggling with the idea of a harp. And I do agree that one photo must be of Miss Haversham. (too funny about the post mortem cat!)
ReplyDeleteThanks Wendy you say the nicest things. I feel sad thinking about the old lady with a dead cat in her lap so in a way I hope it is a post mortem photograph..
DeleteLove this post and a super photo of you and Terry. I think the lady with the cat has passed on and perhaps the cat as well!!
ReplyDeleteI think you could be right Sue. Spooky but just right for Halloween!
DeleteYour hands in that first photo do appear rather elegant with slender long fingers. My hands are wide with short puffy fingers. I've always hated them. And my fingernails are always breaking - not because they're weak, but because I slam my hands around without much thought. You're lucky to have such lovely hands!
ReplyDeleteIt’s very kind of you to say so, but I’m afraid they’ve changed rather a lot since that photo was taken. Old age is not kind :-)
DeleteHpw clever of you to pick on the hands in the theme image.. They are always so prominent in the old photos but we never really look at them. You have a lovely collection of different types. Look at the old lady's. I bet she played the piano with those long fingers.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few more photos in the collection, but I decided to hang on to them for possible inclusion in later Sepia Saturday posts.
DeleteConsidering the age of the lady, her cat might have been old, tattered and blind in one eye as well. I can't imagine it would be just a prop and surely not a stuffed one - if it was, it might have been restored to look better!
ReplyDeleteHi Jo, I was thinking more of taxidermy – some of the images of cats and dogs that were treated in that way are quite horrendous. I very much hope the cat was alive and well when the photo was taken, but the poor thing does look in somewhat of a state.
DeleteYes....that cat is pretty worn looking. And the woman looks awful too...I wouldn't be surprised if it's one of the post mortem things. But your photo is great and I agree with the photographer about your hands. Very clever post.
ReplyDeleteThanks Helen, you are too kind : )
DeleteFunny how that was my first thought as well, prop or not? I like the theme you took here, with such very lovely photos and their props as well!
ReplyDeleteThanks Karen, glad you enjoyed the post. Barbara
DeleteI hate having my photo taken, but the one of you and your husband is beautiful. Congratulations too in finding the album of carte de visite. I would love to find one. I have a collection of studio photographs from my great aunt and many have stylised back cloths and props such as a beach scene (with sand, bucket and spade), or a mock farmyard scene. This prompt has produced such a wonderful array of inventive responses.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue, Sepia Saturday folks are so lovely! We were lucky to find the album, but it's only know that we realise how lucky. I’m just glad we didn’t take the pictures out and discard them – I’m sure a lot of people do.
DeleteThis was a very creative idea to pick out such a common detail as hand positions, which are still a very important element of early photography. The photographers took symbolism in hand positions and props from classical paintings, and most of the meanings are now forgotten. I think the cat is real but flicked its ear as the camera took the photo. The photographers also had a big challenge arranging the enormous amount of drapery that women once wore.
ReplyDeleteHi Mike, I have a lot to learn about early photography so your observations are most welcome. Barbara.
DeleteGreat post, Barbara. That is one beautiful photo album - I wonder who all those ladies were.
ReplyDeleteHi Dara, sadly there is nothing in the album or on any of the photographs to give me a clue. I’ve searched from cover to cover and looked on the fronts & backs of all the images but without success.
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