Figure 1.--This 1/4 plate daguerreotype is of an unidentified boy with classic long bottle ringlet curls. The dealer was not sure the child was a boy or girl. He is definitely a boy. Girls did not wear pants in the 19th cenury. lso notice th sleeve treatment. Open shotish skleeves were popular in the 840s an early-50s. The loyal pooch is nicely posed on the boy's lap. Unlike most early photographic images, we know the studio. It was stamped on the metal frame "ANSON, BROADWAY". Broadway of course meant New York City. Also notice that the number 589 isalso stamped into the frame. Thatwas the address on Broadway.

We see both girls and women with ringletcurls in the 1840s. We are not yet sure if the style was increasing in popularity during the decade, but it was a notable style. We also notice younger boys with ringlets. Again we are not sure if his was a style hast was increasing or decreasing in popularity. This is difficult to assess of course because there was no 1830s photography and as a result we have so few images to compare with the 40s. We note far more images of boys with ringlet curls in the second half of he19h century. It looks like it was becoming more popular, but of course with growing prosperity. American families were far more capable of affording fancy clothes as well as hairstyles, but the prosperity also mean a larger photographic record meaning we have many more portraits.

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Created: 1:08 PM 2/6/2025
Last edited: 1:08 PM 2/6/2025