Featured Tintype: What are these women doing?

@2manybooks I don't know why there would be a mill pic of these women, but it's making much more sense to me than a pic of household servants. Very nice thought about the "finish work," I would not have gotten there on my own.

@Figtree3 I was thinking 1890s, but no real reason for it! I've been trying to dig up a collar similar to Swoosh Bangs woman's, but have found zip.

@Bronwen That the gingham is a "cover up" is obvious -- once you point it out, lol! I had not noticed that, either.

That is where my brain keeps getting lost, also. I think @2manybooks may really be on to something here, but who the devil wanted this picture? And why?

 

I think it is a mother and three daughters.
Woman in back on left being older. Wearing wedding ring


I also agree that they have aprons or smocks over their better clothes. They are wearing nice jewelry. I do not think they are mill workers.

I think well to do, proud of their charity work making or mending socks.

 

Mending these was serious work. Expect they were cotton knit.

 

Yes, could be a wedding ring there. I'm terrible with faces, but they do not look related to me and age spread seems awfully tight, even allowing for mother 17 when first child born.

This is still my best shot at it too, except I think it has to be mending, not making.

 

@clutteredcloset49 I believe you're right about the wedding ring, but I can't swear to it because there is a bit of damage right there.

Could be well-to-do women... but I admit to having trouble seeing well-to-do women wearing these cover-ups/aprons for a photo.

 

In this "Age of the Selfie" we forget how rare it was back in this group's day to even get your picture taken once or twice. It was a big deal for the vast majority of folks. They dressed in their best clothing or got gussied up by the photographer out of his closet of clothing to borrow.

Given the focus on the socks or hose and the way the women are wearing pinafores or aprons that conceal what's underneath, I'm leaning toward "occupational" rather than charitable group. And I agree with Bronwen that they do not appear to be related (at least not the whole group.)

 

Many women went to work in textile mills for an independent life and income. It was one of the few occupations open to them. These women may have been quite proud of their position, and wanted to memorialize it themselves.
I agree that what we can see of their dresses looks like 1880s.

 

Another thing about the picture that argues for workplace is the dark plain background - brought back to my mind by INH's latest addition. These are not "studio portraits" where the photographer has a "scenic background" against which to arrange the subjects.

 

SiS, that's what I thought, that 3 of the 4 were holding crochet hooks and the 4th one sitting with the white apron on, looks to be holding the same under her hands in her lap......I think!! I also have a brown 'egg' with handle for darning and used to use it.....also have a circular sort of flat-ish painted black one....same purpose.....at this stage of the game, he may now darn his own...

Edit: Maybe it's one house of maids who all got some time to do their OWN darning?????? And I personally don't see anyone looking older - enough to be anyone's mother in the image........

 

@i need help - what is the source of this photo?

 

Does that look like a child-size stocking? Maybe repairing cast-offs, hand me downs, for the needy or orphans?

Well-to-do may be overstating it; I don't see as much jewellery as I would expect. If you were the daughter or wife in a farm family that was reasonably prosperous, you could have dresses, jewellery, boots, not to mention smocks, like these. Same if you lived in some small town and father/husband made stable living, even if not lavish. They would not necessarily have to be from a city or earning their own wages.

I make the opposite conjecture: that if you were a mill worker who got the opportunity to have your photo taken, you would want to look like a lady and would not wear your best clothes only to have them hidden under what you wear to work, maybe with a stocking hanging on your shoulder.

The only way I can make sense of being photographed in good clothes under plain (except that apron, which looks like Sunday best too) homemaker's wear, with the indication to the viewer that all four of you engage in this one same mending activity - which is what the photo is about - is if it is a voluntary project. They have the choice to have themselves recorded engaged in this humble, virtuous activity; they have the means to have themselves photographed in all their finery too.

It's the sort of thing that used to make the newspaper in small places: Mrs. X, Mrs. Y, Mrs. Z, and Miss Q, of the Ladies Group of the First Methodist Church, have been busy this year mending worn out stockings for distribution to the less fortunate among us. They are proud to report they have given out sixty-eight pairs to date. Donations of worn or outgrown stockings are greatly appreciated.

 

This is what I see age wise.

Makes sense.

"Could also be Mrs X, with her daughters X, Y, and Z, have been busy mending donated stockings for the children's Christmas party at City Orphanage"

 

Interesting. I see the 2 in front as quite a bit older, maybe 28-30 for the one marked 14, and the 12 year old as anywhere from 25-30. The 16 & 35 year olds I see as only a little older; 18-20 and 37-40. It used to be a big deal when a girl got old enough to put her hair up, around age 16, I think.

 

A charitable mill owner, who thought the women deserved a picture, as well as showing how well his factory workers were treated? They are clearly not dirt poor.

 

they look alpine to me, with possibly a bit of Italian in them. crotchetting away to give the fingers something to do was and still is quite usual in countries where doing nothing is a sin.


Swiss Parlament. at left Ruth Dreifuss, member oft the Federal Council. at right Bruno Manser, an ecologist that fought against destruction of rain forests and was later killed by Malaysian company-engaged killers.

 

They all look around 17-18 to me, the one top left maybe in her twenties.

If I remember correctly, our queen Wilhelmina first put her hair up when she was inaugurated at age 18 in 1898.

 

hmm... I think it's a bit early in the history of newspaper photos for that kind of story. Maybe "possible," but not "probable."

I think they're all between 20 and 25.

I'm still leaning toward mill worker -- because they are the only ones who could be realistically instructed to cover up their nice clothes with aprons and such.

Not that we'll ever know for certain, but I'm enjoying the conversation -- now, I'm going to cast about for tools that look similar to what they have.

 

Still looking for the tools, but wanted to share a read for anyone interested in how socks were made, lol: http://www.sockknittingmachines.co.uk/Copy of Griswold Instruction Book.pdf