Victorian and Edwardian Photographs

[Jennie]

Victorian and Edwardian Photographs by Robert Vaughan
This is the 2012 New Main Site (the original former site is still online) and is the only site that will be updated in future. I have not used any alternative to my laptop and I quote the website owner – “The ‘Text link and Descriptions' pages work very well on mobile devices showing the image at full screen size.”

An excellent source for dating old photographs with, it appears, "an up-to-date style to suit all".

One of the most useful tips I was once given is that although one may date a particular fashion to, for example, around the 1890s, in those times a large percentage of the population couldn't afford to stop wearing clothing just if it became unfashionable. It was also suggested to me that this could mean anything up to ten to fifteen years (or more) could be added to the date of when the style was popular, thus making it possibly as late as circa 1905. Then we have WW1 and WW2, times of great thriftiness and hardship and the life of garments was, again, extended. The wealthier classes could usually afford to wear more of the latest fashion styles but had to settle for 'inferior' fabrics etc.

 

[Jacqueline]

Victorian and Edwardian Photographs by Robert Vaughan

Hi Jennie, a very useful site. Can be linked with sites giving named photographers' dates and places of work to narrow down a photo. Yes you are right about poor people not being able to discard hardwearing clothes for fashion, but a photo of a younger person particularly a woman will always be more likely to try to achieve a fashionable appearance, especially if the photo was, as it usually was, taken for a special occasion, before "snaps". And many young women had domestic and professional experience with their needles.