Figure 1.--Here we see Edward and William in 1878. Edward wears a kneepants suit with a bowler hat. William wears a longpants suit. Click on the image for a fuller discussion of the boys' clotyhes.
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Figure 1.--Here we see Edward and William in 1878. Edward wears a kneepants suit with a bowler hat. William wears a longpants suit. Click on the image for a fuller discussion of the boys' clotyhes. |
Here we have another 1878 image of Edward and William Robinson. This is another interesting shot taken outside the Vicarage at Chart Sutton but on a different day to the other shots.
We bellieve the portrait was proibably taken in 1878. A thermometer hangs on the wall behind them - if only we could see the temperature, we may have an idea of the time of year! The foilage in the background suggests it was taken some time from the late Spring to the early Autumn.
This is one of the earliest images in the HBC Robinson series as both boys look very young here - William about 13 or 14 and Edward on his knee about 9 years old.
This is the sort of feel a lot of these photos have - a close and relaxed family, and it is difficult to think that some of these images are so old because they are so informal. One photographic note is that the limits of 1870s contrain the poses. Even though taken outside, the slow speed of the film requires the photographer to pose the subjects in positions they can hold. Notice how Edward has moved here and his face is thus not sharp. Household furniture in many of these images was brouhght out into the sunshine for these photographs. Here for once they appear to be on a different chair!
Edward's attire here is quite different to how he appears in most of these images. He is wearing a bowler hat (quite an early image of the bowler). We are not sure just what the conventions were for the bowler hat. It has a destinct adult image to us now. We do note many clothing advertisements, however, in the late 19th century of boys wearing bowlers. Here the bowler does seem to fit Edward, so it seems to be a hat he did wear with his suit. Edward also wears a small Eton Collar. His jacket has quite large circular buttons (possibly metal?) and buttons right up to the neck. He is wearing kneepants, which appear to have a turn-up at the bottom which reaches up a couple of inches with a larger band of material about an inch wide above that. This may be his last vpaitr of kneepoants as soon afterwards we see him wearing a new long pants suit. It is far more likely that was the actual design, rather than the possibility that Edward had simply turned up the material. He is wearing long dark (probably black) stockings and ankle boots - again, the boys are usually seen in shoes. He also wears a handkerchief in his breast pocket.
William appears to be wearing a light brown or light grey tie and wears a dark suit which has the normal wide lapel and buttons quite high. The suit appears to be matching and his trouser legs seem quite narrow. He also is wearing a pair of high ankle boots.
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