Figure 1.--This unidentified CDV portrairtshows and unidentified child wearing a dark dress. We would guess it was taken in the 1890s. The child looks to be about 6 years old. We thought the boy with relatively short hair looked boyish. The shortish hair is also a clue, but girls also had short hair. The flower basket, however, almost surely means that the child is a girl The studio was D. Mitchell in Blackpool.

Much of the photographic record is not identified. Thus we have counless images without names. We have acquired numerous images of English children in dresses whose gender is uncertain. Younger children are often difficult to assess by facial features. and many girls had short hair as well as boys with long hair. Thus assessing gender in 19th century photograph with any surity is very difficult. There are some clues that can be used to help destinguish gender, but of course there is no fool proof way of doing this. Even if we can't be sure about identification, however, the images are useful to show stylistic trends and issues that have to considered when assessing gender.

Image 1 (1890s)

This unidentified CDV portrairt shows and unidentified child wearing a dark dress (figure 1). We would guess it was taken in the 1890s. The child looks to be about 6 years old. We thought the boy with relatively short hair looked boyish. The shortish hair is also a clue, but girls also had short hair. The flower basket, however, almost surely means that the child is a girl The studio was D. Mitchell in Blackpool.

Image 2 (1870s)

Here we have a CDV portrait of two unidentified English children. They are both wearing dresses, so the initial impression is that they are girls. We see two veryh different dresses. One has a low neckline, the other a high collar. Both seem very stlish dresses. We have no idea about the yoingest child. Given the age he could be a boy or girl. The older child is a little different. The child looks very boyish to us. But what we wonder about is the hair. We suspect thst if the younger child had long hair, if the older child was a girl that it would be likely that an older sister would also have long hair. we this suspect that the oler child may be a boy who has had his curls cut, but there is no way to be sure about this. The portrait is not dated, but we would guess was taken in the 1870s. The studio was W.H. Midwinter in Bristol.

Image 3 (1890s)

This cabinet card portrait shows an unidentified English child who looks to be about 7-8 years old. As with younger children in general, a facial identification of gender is difficult. The child has full hair, but cut above the ears. The outfit is a pleated dress and wide wait sash. The photographic dealer identified the child as a boy. We are not sure why, but suspect it was the short hair. At the time it was not uncommon for girls to have short hair. There are two elements that suggests strongly that the child is a girl. Flowers were a common prop for girls as well as the girl doll. We are not sure about the date, but would guess the 1890s. The studio was Robert Faulkner in London.

Image 4 (1870s)

This English CDV shows an unidentified family--a very proud beared father with his two children. At first glance it looks like two daughters. They look to be azbout 6-10 years old. Both children are wearing identical patterned dresses with lace collats and waist sash. They are long-sleeved plain dresses witn what looks like embriodered bnds on the lower skirt. The faces and short hair look rather boyish, but at this age faces can be deciving. And girls also had shirt hair, although it usually covered or at least touched on part of the ears. As the family is not identified, all we have to go is the image. We think that the oldr child must be a girl because of the age nd he flower basket. The younger child may also be a girl, but we are less certain here. The child looks very boyish. And rather than a flower basket there is a ball. Now while a girl could be pictired with a ball, it was more common for boys. And in addition there is a larger ball at their feet. So mny balls in a portrait of girls is rather unusual. There is no studio informrion on the mount.

Created: 3:58 PM 12/2/2015
Last updated: 12:59 AM 3/13/2018