Figure 1.--Here we see an uidentified child wearig a frilly plaidd dress with a fancy parasol. The white sailor cap is a boyish touch. The child with short hair looks very boyish. There is no way of knowing for sure, but we think the chid may be a boy, perhps about 5-years old. The photographer, Christian Durstowitz, owned photo studios in both Hoboken (1886-1906) and Jersey City Heights (1894-1915). Both locations were in New Jersey.

A parasol is a light, commonly fashioanal umbrella used to ward off bright sunsjine. The function is in the name. Sol is the Latin term for sun and thus the root word in the romance languages, especially French. They were not used like uembrellas in inclemrnt weather. They were only bright out on sunny sumer weather when the wind was not too strong. And were highly decorated. To the extent we see them in early photogaphs it would be with bgirls or fashionable young women. Thus when they apeear withbyounger childen, the chances are the child or children are girls. This is not a prop we see very often. But when see it would like be with a girl. But 19th century attotudes can be very different than our modern outlook. The cabinet card here features a young child posed in an outdoor-themed studio backdrop. The child is dressed in an elaborate plaid dress with puffed sleeves, lace-trimmed cuffs, and a ruffled collar. Completing the outfit is a whitesaior cap. This was primarily worn bu boys, but girls culd wear sailor caps. The utfit is finished off with black long stockings and high-top button black boots. Most strikingly, the child holds an elegant parasol, a classic accessory in Victorian portraiture that adds both delicacy and charm to the composition. The child gazes directly into the camera with a solemn, slightly wistful expression—a hallmark of the era when long exposure times required subjects to remain still and unsmiling. The studio carpet and painted backdrop suggest an idealized park or lakeside setting, adding atmosphere to the portrait. The card mount bears the imprint of C. Durstewitz, 343 Central Ave., Jersey City Heights, N.J. The reverse is blank. Although the child wears a dress and holds a parasol—signs we might instinctively associate with a girl —- this is by no means certain. In the Victorian era, young boys were commonly dressed in skirts and dresses until breeching (usually around ages 3-5 years). The straight-across haircut and cap lean slightly toward boyhood styling, though it is difficult to be conclusive. Some girls had short hair cuts. But the chid looks very boyish and yhe hair cut looks very boyish even for girls with short hair.

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Created: 2:49 AM 8/31/2025
Last updated: 2:50 AM 8/31/2025