The Lady's Ambrotype.

[relichound]

This 1/9th ambrotype was found several years ago in eastern Virginia at an estate auction with a
similarly sized ambrotype of a Confederate soldier. There was no other evidence that they were related,
and I sold his image, not even thinking about this lady's image. He was in uniform with a double row
of buttons, but I am not sure if he was an officer or not. She had some information scratched into
the back of her glass image. There is an 1858 (year this image was made?), and an 1879 (year of her death?),
and her initials which look like E.K.W. and that is all I can see. Southern Belle?

I have a copy of the soldier's ambrotype, but I do not own the original, and do not want to show it here.
This image I posted here years ago, but I now include more information not shown before.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

She does look southern- saying that because I've noticed northern women's images tend to be a little more stark? Had that backed up reading accounts from a female seminary in ( I think ) New York, the girls themselves were comparing notes on how differently they dressed- girls from the south wore make-up, more jewelry, more dressed hair etc. It wasn't at all catty, they seemed to find it interesting.

Could be wrong- she's wearing what seems to be a lot of black? It wasn't an across the board rule but black really did tend to indicate mourning. It's definitely not 1879- if you're looking for the year. If it's either/or, then it's 1858.

 

[relichound]

Yes, I also think that this was more than likely taken in 1858. Having collected hard images since about 1977, I have learned
much useless information, and one thing I learned is that ambrotype photos were popular from about 1855 into the very early Civil War
period. After that in South, with the blockade active, they were about the only image available and when supplies dwindled
not even those were available. In the North, ambrotype photos are seen almost only early in the war, then come tintypes, and CDV
photos. Of course these are generalities. I believe the info. scratched into the back of this image.