Figure 1.--We note a tinted tin-type portrait of two American children. It is undated, but looks like the 1880s to us. It shows a brother and sister both wearing browm long stockings (figure 1). We believe brown outfits were common for boys, we are less sure about girls.

The black and white photography of the day makes it difficult to assess the color of stockings. Still they can provide some useful information. Here we can often tell if dark stockings are not black, but not what color they were. Photographic tinting provides helpful evidence. The clothing colors on these tinted portraits may not have been precise. The colorists probably went on the instructions and the colors they note being worn at the time. So the convention of matching colors seems to be a well-established convention.

Black and White Photography

The black and white photography of the day makes it difficult to assess the color of stockings. Still they can provide some useful information. Here we can often tell if dark stockings are not black, but not what color they were. Photographic tinting provides helpful evidence. The clothing colors on these tinted portraits may not have been precise. The colorists probably went on the instructions and the colors they note being worn at the time. So the convention of matching colors seems to be a well-established convention.

Tinted Portraits

Photographic tinting provides helpful evidence. The clothing colors on these tinted portraits may not have been precise. The colorists probably went on the instructions and the colors they note being worn at the time. So the convention of matching colors seems to be a well-established convention. We note several examples.

We note a tined cabinent card on the previous page that shows an American boy wearing an overcoat, suit, and stockings, all matching brown items. The portrait is undated, but looks to have been taken in the 1880s. The color instructions provided were generally basic. The inscription provided the family address and then focused more on personal characteristics (hairs, eyes, and complexion) rather than the clothing. The inspription read, "Pensilvania, Ave. 52 2L 2 0/2, sehr heller Teint, nur fleischfarben, blaue Augen, hell aschblond, gelbbrauner Anzug". That means in Englisch, "Pensilvania, Ave. 52 2L 2 0/2, very light complexion, only flesh-coloured, blue eyes, light ash blond [hair], tawny suit".

We note a tinted tin-type portrait of two American children. It is undated, but looks like the 1880s to us. It shows a brother and sister both wearing browm long stockings (figure 1). We believe brown outfits were common for boys, we are less sure about girls.

Created: 1:15 AM 11/4/2007
Last updated: 1:15 AM 11/4/2007