Can anyone date these photos please?

[Wilf]

These photos were my grans, she was born in 1904. Can anyone help with dating them?










I think they were all taken around the same time
Any help gratefully received

Allie x

[poppybat]

Don't know if this will help, but I have some photos on exactly the same mount as this and they were taken at Williams & Williams in Newport, Gwent. Of course, they may have had other branches...

Without my "big book of dating costume" to hand I can't give you an exact year, but I'm tempted to say 1880s -1890s? There are some very impressive sleeves on those ladies dresses, which dates them later than the 1870s, and the style is too early to be post 1900. Someone else may be able to narrow it down a bit more.

*runs off to find big book of costume!*

[Wilf]

Thanks Poppybat

I am assuming these were taken in Shrewsbury as all the studios Williams and Williams had are on the reverse of these photos. That would be the closest one for my family.

The third photo was possibly taken at a different time as there is a different list of studios.
Off to google this now and see if I can kind out much about these studios and when they were trading.

Allie x

[don.t]

Morning Allie,

The first two I would suggest were taken between the period of 1893 to 1897 when the gigot sleeve was in fashion. Personally I favour the years of 1895 to 1897 as this was when the gigot really took off and the enlargement of the upper sleeve reached extreme proportions. Also in 1897 the hair style in women change and from the look that is shown in this image a more styled and neater coiffure was worn, this being known as a loose pompadour.

The third photograph may also date from the same period as one and two, again favouring the latter stages of the gigot sleeve period. However with out comparing the backs it is had to really be sure. The difference in the reverse could be that it was old stock being used (or new stock depending on the list of studio's). One way of getting a better time period is to attempt to locate a date for when each studio opened/closed that way one can usually say when an image was taken but it may mean a long time searching on the internet etc.

The last one is more difficult to date as the subject being a male he mnay not have kept up to date with the latest fashion and the clothes that he is wearing could be the past season's fashion (or for that matter a couple of past season's). from when the image was originally taken. Again I favour the period between 1890 and 1900 which although is a ten year period the cut of jacket could have changed from being a four button fastening to a three, the ticket pocket could have disapeared from the waist area on the outside to be replaced with one on the inside of the jacket. But as it stands the jacket is consistant with the ten year period that I have given.

hope it helps
don.

[Wilf]

Many thanks don. for your informative reply.

The dates you have given are roughly what I was hoping for. This could help with identifying the people in the photos.
The dates also tie in with the research I did today on the photographer in Shrewsbury.
Williams and Williams were trading in Shrewsbury in 1895 as they are in the trade directory for that year. Going back to 1891, there is a different photographer trading from the same studio which helps to narrow things down a bit.

Got more questions but need to put them on another thread I think ;)
Many thanks again

Allie x

[Wary Winnie]

I would guess between 1890 and 1905.