Wild West Wednesdays, Part 2 (a day late) – The Death of Outlaw Johnny Ringo

30 Elegant Photos Show What Victorian Girls Wore in the 1860s

Victorian fashion consists of the various fashions and trends in British culture that emerged and developed in the United Kingdom and the British Empire throughout the Victorian era, roughly from the 1830s through the 1890s. The period saw many changes in fashion, including changes in styles, fashion technology and the methods of distribution. Various movementContinue reading “30 Elegant Photos Show What Victorian Girls Wore in the 1860s”

Wild West Wednesdays Part 1

Today we begin a new series, appearing every Wednesday, profiling one notorious outlaw who was roaming the American Wild West in the late-1800s. I hope that you will enjoy the series as much as I did writing it. Enjoy!. Michael Yesterday Today John Wesley Hardin John Wesley Hardin was an Old West outlaw and gunfighter.Continue reading “Wild West Wednesdays Part 1”

A Norwegian University Student’s Secret Street Photography From 1890s Oslo

Known mostly as an accomplished mathematician and physicist from Norway, Carl Størmer (Fredrik Carl Mülertz Størmer) also enjoyed a very unusual side hobby at the time. With a bulky camera hidden in his clothes, Størmer walked around Oslo, Norway and secretly capture candid moments of passersby. As his subjects were always caught in their naturalContinue reading “A Norwegian University Student’s Secret Street Photography From 1890s Oslo”

The Story Behind The Gruesome Wounded Knee Massacre, December 29, 1890

The Wounded Knee Massacre was one of the most notorious episodes of violence by the United States government against Native Americans. While most peoples know about the horrors of the Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota, few know the backstory to the incident, which involves a Paiute prophet named Wovoka. In 1889, Wovoka went intoContinue reading “The Story Behind The Gruesome Wounded Knee Massacre, December 29, 1890”

The First Photograph of a Woman Smoking: Lola Montez 1852

Considered to be the first photograph of a woman smoking, this is Lola Montez’s portrait by Southworth & Hawes. A savvy self-promoter, Lola Montez is the first woman ever to be photographed smoking. She made sure the cigarette is the focus of the picture. (Metropolitan Museum of Art) This is Lola’s third and most provocativeContinue reading “The First Photograph of a Woman Smoking: Lola Montez 1852”

Abolitionist Button, ca. 1850s

Abolitionist Button is an early photography daguerreotype and gold photographic print created from between the 1840s to the 1850s. It lives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The image is in the public domain, and tagged jewelry and political work. This miniature daguerreotype shows two hands resting on a book. The photographContinue reading “Abolitionist Button, ca. 1850s”

40 Wonderful Portrait Photos of Women Posing With Their Books From the Mid-19th Century

Women formed a large and increasing part of the new novel-reading public. The traditional discrepancy between male and female literacy rates was narrowed, and finally eliminated by the end of the 19th century. The gap had always been the widest at the lowest end of the social scale. Perhaps more women than we realize couldContinue reading “40 Wonderful Portrait Photos of Women Posing With Their Books From the Mid-19th Century”

Animals in Daguerreotypes in the Early Years of Photography

Daguerreotypes, the first commercial form of photography, appeared in America around the year 1839. These were produced by first sensitizing a polished silvered copper plate with iodine vapor, and then exposing the plate to light. The image was developed over hot mercury, fixed, and rinsed. This was a direct positive process, meaning that no negativesContinue reading “Animals in Daguerreotypes in the Early Years of Photography”