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Here we have individual portraits of the three Nair children. Usually siblings were photographed together, but here their parents, presumably mom, had all three children photographed separately. That is helpful for HBC because we can examine their outfits in detail. We have three CDVs, all taken at the same time. The portraits are undated, but they look like the very early-1870s. We might have guessed the late-1860s, but the rounded corners of the CDV mounts, suggest the early-70s. The children are Lonzo Preston Nair, Clara Belle Nair, and Williiam Franklin Nair. They look to be about 6-12 years old. Lonzo and William wear similar button-on suits, but with notable differences. They look to be velvet suits. This was not unusual for boys Lonzo's age, but a little unusual for boys William's age. Clara wears a jacketed dress with extensive velvet trim. They were from Keokuk, Iowa. We say that based on the location of the photographer. Of course they could be a farm family that came into town. America was still very rural in the 70s, but based on how they are dressed, we doubt that they are a farm family--especially the velvet suit. Keokuk was a town on the Mississippi River in southeastern Iowa. Riverboats were important to the city's growth, but by the 1870s, the railroad had reached the city. The studio was J.H. Emerson in Keokuk.
Clara Belle Nair looks to be anout 6 years old. Wec see some kind of hair band. Bote the centervpart. She wears a jacketed dress. It appears to be a standard A-line, jacketed dress. The jacket has extensive black velvet trim. The neckline is open with white frills that are wider than those we see Lonzo wearing. We also see the frills at the wrist cuffs. Except for the velvet trim, the dress is very plain. The boys seem to have been better tined out than Clara which I think is a little surprising. We have no idea about the color of the dress. Clara has white stockings. In the 1860s, both boys and girls might have white stockings. In the 1870s we see white stockings becoming more common for girls and less common for boys.
Lonzo looks to be about 8 wears old. He wears a knee pants button-on suit. It looks to be velvet suit. This was not unusual for boys Lonzo's age. It is not a fancy suit, but velvet was a luxurios, expensive fabric. It was often used for fancy boys' suits. Notice the white buttons used for decoration. We are not sure what he is wearing under his suit top and there are no blouse sleee cuffs to offer a clue. The frills at the collar and front is probably decorative applique sewed on to the top. The buttons on the waist and are from the top and hold up the bottoms. The bottoms are probably knee pants, although they look like knickers. In the 1870s, knee pants tend to be worn only by younger boys. They were commonly cut at calf level. The term 'knee pants' comes from later in the century when the standard length became knee level. We also see spectacled stockings done in a lighter color than the suit. We are not sure about the length. At the time boys generally wore long pants, they did not have to be very long. Long stockings appears as knee pants All three children wore high-top shoes.
William looks to be about 11 years old. Like Lorenzo he has carefully combed hair. He also wears a button-on suit. It looks to be another velvet suits. This was not unusual for boys Lonzo's age, but a little unusual for boys William's age. Willian's outfit, however, is a little different. Rather than frills at the collar, Willim has an Eton collar with a small now. There are no decorative frills at the front. The basic suit seems to be very similar to Lonzos's suit. The primary difference is how long the pants are. We are not sure if they were briyght that way or he has outgrown his suit. We thinkn that they were bought thart way. But looking at the sleeve length, we are not suure about it.
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