Figure 1.--We see a large size cabinet card portrait of what may be the Brown family in southeastern Pennsylvania, now basically the outer suburbs of Phildelphia. It was not taken in a studio, but shows a family brick home and an idelic picket fence. We begin to see more of these outdoor images in the 1890s, but they were still relatively rare. It is only with the Kodak Browie and similar systems that photography significasngtly expands outside the studio (1900). The home was probably located in a small town. The card is one of the large sizes ofter used for family and school portraits. This one had a print 10x7.75 on a larger card. This was the largest size made in any quantity. There is some rather confusing writing on the back describing the family in the Norristown-Lansdale area of Montgomery County in Pennsylvania. Click on the image to see how the girl;s dess was colorized. The girl and her dress were cklearly meabntto stand out.

We see a large size cabinet card portrait of what may be the Brown family in southeastern Pennsylvania, now basically the outer suburbs of Phildelphia. It was not taken in a studio, but shows a family brick home and an idelic picket fence. We begin to see more of these outdoor images in the 1890s, but they were still relatively rare. It is only with the Kodak Browie and similar systems that photography significasngtly expands outside the studio (1900). The home was probably located in a small town. The card is one of the large sizes ofter used for family and school portraits. This one had a print 10x7.75 on a larger card. This was the largest size made in any quantity. There is some rather confusing writing on the back describing the family in the Norristown-Lansdale area of Montgomery County in Pennsylvania. The local historian in whose collection this was mentions Frank L. Brown, 'a photographer and druggist' in Norristown. This could have been the photographer and or his family. There are some interesting aspects to the portrait. One boy in front wears a blouse and knee pants and is barefoot. Hec was not dressed upn for the occasssion. This was how boys commonly dressed at the time, but rarely seen in the photographic record consisting mostly of studio portraits. Near him is a girl wearing a spencer jacket dress--a style associated with the early-19th century. She is dressed up for the occassion. Perhaps her grandmother has sewed a dress for her like she had worn as a child. In the background we see a little younger boy more formally dressed, also pobably dressed up for the occassion. He is wearing a kilt suit which we do commonly see in studio photography.

Created: 4:59 PM 11/19/2022
Last updated: 4:59 PM 11/19/2022