Featured Family Photo

We found this 16" x 20" 'Family Photo' at an antique store in McGregor, Tx. The frame is the original one that was with it. I would be interested in knowing approximately what year this is from. This is the last of the photos I have currently.

 

I'm not real good with telling age from clothing but the bow tie was prevalent in "dress up" pictures from the mid 1800's on to the early 1900's. It's a strange picture as the one guy has a necktie with a pocket kerchief, looks strange compared to all the other people. Interesting. Anyhoo, I'd hate to run across that crew in the woods at any time period!

 

I think very late 1890s or very early 1900s due to the fact that the dresses and tops are not more closely fitted at the waist and look like blouses with skirts in some instances. So just about 1900 perhaps? The hair on some of the women is a little reminiscent of an earlier period, though... so I could be wrong.

 

What struck me as strange is that everyone - and I do mean every single person - has their hair parted in the center.

Oops - there is one woman with her hair parted slightly off center and combed severely against and across her forehead. But her part is still quite prominent.

 

I think they all used a unisex barber that only knew how to do one haircut !!

 

That's partly why I was thinking it could be earlier. That seemed to happen a lot in the early 1890s.

 

Another good possibility!

By the way, just changed my avatar, although might need to edit it a bit.

 

Could well be a high school graduating class.

Debora

 

Was Jethro still "ciphering in the 8th grade?

 

Thanks all for the great date suggestions and what it could possibly be. All of them having the same hair style is very striking. The fact that all their eyes are in shadow makes the photo very creepy, kind of like The Adams Family.

 

Some of the women are wearing dresses with a pouter pigeon bust so... let's see... when would that be? Very last years of the 1800s and just into the 1900s. You can see here on the 1902 silhouette. Women's hairstyles are remarkably plain; wonder if has to do with religious sect (Baptists, or some such.) At any rate, from appearances a respectable but not a very well-heeled group.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/d5/65/03/d56503188476e64896f3b495255009aa.jpg

Debora

 

Circa 1900 is probably about right; the ugly male hairstyles date from around then. They might well be a church group; the word sect has connotations that don't necessarily apply here. The central part was just the style about then, kind of like the 80s side pony and the big hair.

 

I used "sect" in the non-perjorative sense but... if you prefer... "denomination."

Debora

 

I'm thinking it could be a class picnic or school group too; eleven kids is about what was in my grandmother's graduating class.

 

In that era, young women typically wore white for high school graduation.

Debora