Figure 1.--Francis H. Bigelow was born on February 9, 1875 in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was Frank's 7th birthday. This 1882 CDV shows Frank wearing roller skates. CDVs were less common in America by the 1880s. In this case, the format was probably chosen because the portrait was used a birthday party invitation and sent out to family and friends. Frank wears a skirted suit witb roller skates. Put your cursor on the image to read the invitation.

Francis H. Bigelow was born on February 9, 1875 in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was Frank's 7th birthday. This 1882 CDV shows Frank wearing roller skates. It was in America that rollar skates were first mass produced. CDVs were less common in America by the 1880s. In this case, the format was probably chosen because the portrait was used a birthday party invitation and sent out to family and friends. Frank has what looks like a rounded/high side fur hat. We are not sure what the proper term for the hat was. He wears a skirted suit decorated with buttons. The outfit probably would have been called a kilt suit, but there are not Scottish elements. Note the diagonal styling on the jacket. That was very common in the 1870s. He also has a narrow ribbon bow. He has on roller skates, ready for his birthday party. The back of the CDV is an invitation to his birthday party at Worcester Skating Rink. This was appropriate, as his father, Horace Holly Bigelow was a developer of Roller Skating Rinks, among numerous other endeavors, including railroads and the White City Amusement Park. He was the financial backer of the Bullard Repeating Arms Company of Springfield, Massachusetts (c1883-91). The family money originally came from the shoe business, which Horace Holly learned from his father, and went on to invent automated machinery to press heels and nailing machines. He organized prison labor to meet the Federal army's demand for boots during the Civil War. Of course sending out CDV inviations and having the party at a roller rink would only be possible for a well-to-do family.

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Created: 12:23 AM 6/24/2009
Last edited: 12:23 AM 6/24/2009