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Shona
12-09-12, 10:19
Mum found lots of old family photos recently - all connected with her grandfather (William Nicol) and grandmother (Robina Moyes). There are no names on the back of most of the photos :(

If we can date them, then we may be able to narrow down who is in the photos. Can anyone estimate when this photo was taken? It was taken in Dunfermline in Fife, Scotland.
Merry
12-09-12, 11:48
The background and placement of the female subject and table etc look more dated than her clothing! If she wasn't there I would say 1860/70, but she looks more like 1880s.
Olde Crone
12-09-12, 16:21
Oooh, not sure about that Merry - my G-G-Gmother looks exasctly like that and the piccy taken in 1855. Mind you, she appeared to be wearing the same (or very similar) dress with a pleated dust ruffle in 1918!

OC
Rachel
12-09-12, 16:32
Where are Don and Barbara ?

You need a hairstyle expert as well as a clothing aficionado.


Hair flat and parted down the middle, no hair showing behind the head, ears on display ? difficult to tell with such a tiny pic. but these all mean something.

Any chance of a better scan ?
Shona
12-09-12, 17:05
The photo is very small - 62 x 100mm. It appears to be faded sepia and is stuck on card.

There is a purple stamp on the back of the card reading:

Alexr P Taylor
Photographer
Kirkgate
Dunfermline
Negatives kept Copies may be had

He had a studio in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, from about 1860 until 1884.

Is this what they call a 'Carte de Visite'? If it is one of these, then the style of stamp on the back suggests 1860s.

When I uploaded the pic, I was surprised it came out as a thumbnail. Where am I going wrong? Hints on uploading, pls.

In my pic I can also see that she is also wearing large 'pearl' earrings.
Merry
12-09-12, 17:19
G-G-Gmother looks exasctly like that and the piccy taken in 1855

But in 1855 she should have been wearing a crinoline with raglan sleeves and wide at the 'cuff' - I'm sure this garment is later.

I have plenty of dated Victorian photos and her centre parting hairstyle with ears showing is popular until around 1890.
Rachel
12-09-12, 18:57
The photo is very small - 62 x 100mm. It appears to be faded sepia and is stuck on card.

There is a purple stamp on the back of the card reading:

Alexr P Taylor
Photographer
Kirkgate
Dunfermline
Negatives kept Copies may be had

He had a studio in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, from about 1860 until 1884.

Is this what they call a 'Carte de Visite'? If it is one of these, then the style of stamp on the back suggests 1860s.

When I uploaded the pic, I was surprised it came out as a thumbnail. Where am I going wrong? Hints on uploading, pls.

In my pic I can also see that she is also wearing large 'pearl' earrings.

Sounds very like a Carte de Visite.

If you use Photobucket, then make sure you have your file size option set to the maximum 1 mb.

Photobucket does keep changing but the principles remain the same.

http://www.genealogistsforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=2301

The most important thing is to do a good scan.
If the file size is small then there's no hope.

Scan at 300-600

Scanning at 300 and increasing the scale produces slightly better results but 600 should be fine and make sure you don't scan the scanner lid as well as the pic.
In other words crop the image before you scan.
Rachel
12-09-12, 18:59
These are worth trawling through



http://www.cartes.freeuk.com/time/date.htm
Rachel
12-09-12, 19:02
Googled info


TAYLOR. ALEXANDER P (d 1892): Dunfermline, c 1860-1884; son of James Taylor (d 1853), grocer and spirit dealer in Kirkgate Street, he followed in the same line, but being interested in photography, he began practising on a commercial basis; by June 1860 he had erected a studio in Kirkgate "for carrying on photography in all its departments;" the grocery was given up in June 1864, and he concentrated soley on his photographic business, which was later removed to 1 Eastport Street; retiring in May 1884, and he was succeeded by Aexander McIntyre of the Oakbank Studio in Glasgow; died June 23 1892 in 68th yr.
Rachel
12-09-12, 19:13
Enlarged but pixellated because of the small file size

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o228/rachelscand/ZWomansittingwithchild.jpg
Rachel
12-09-12, 19:15
The boy looks quite 'modern' with his short trousers
Shona
14-09-12, 23:12
The pic I posted was a photo I took of the orginal, not a scan. Sorry. Thanks for the hints and links, I've loved looking through photos of Victorian women to see if I can date the pic and all the others that my mum recently found in my great-grandparents' v modest home.
Rachel
15-09-12, 10:50
The pic I posted was a photo I took of the orginal, not a scan. Sorry. Thanks for the hints and links, I've loved looking through photos of Victorian women to see if I can date the pic and all the others that my mum recently found in my great-grandparents' v modest home.

Ah ... shame you don't have the original
Shona
15-09-12, 11:15
I've got the original, but a knackered, old scanner.
Rachel
15-09-12, 11:31
I've got the original, but a knackered, old scanner.

search the house for spare cash and nip out to buy a new one ?