Figure 1.-- This CDV portrait shows a little boy wearing a heavily decorated dtress with embroidery work. The dress was a light color, but we do not know just what the color was. He is Gordon M. Bently. The portrait was taken right after his 4th birthday. He was 4 years and c6 days old. The portrait was taken September 29, 1879. The portrait was taken at the Hall Stidio in Great Barrington, Massachusettes. His hat is displayed beside him, but seems a strange stylecdor a boy not yet breeched. He wears long stockings with a very thin stripe.

This CDV portrait shows a little boy wearing a heavily decorated dtress with embroidery work. The dress was a light color, but we do not know just what the color was. Hevhas a small white collsr, albeit larger than we generally note in the 1860s. His bow is small as was generally the case in the 1870s. The boy is Gordon M. Bently. The portrait was taken right after his 4th birthday. He was 4 years and c6 days old. The portrait was taken September 29, 1879. The portrait was taken at the Hall Stidio in Great Barrington, Massachusettes. His hat is displayed beside him, but seems a strange stylecdor a boy not yet breeched. He wears long stockings with a very thin stripe. A reader writes, "The style of this boy's dress is interesting. It is very militaristic like, a Hussars jacket. Was this a fashion for boy's dresses? If so was it an ephemeral style, and therefore possibly dateable? I am not familiar with the all the gender indicies that differentiated boys' and girls' dresses apart from front buttons. HBC often relies on photo props, and hair parting for gender identification of unidentified images."

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Created: 7:49 AM 8/30/2009
Last edited: 12:48 AM 8/31/2009