Tag Archives: 1880s

Sentimental Imagery – Characteristic Americana ca. 1880

From a collection of photographs produced by the L.M. Melander & Brother Company of Chicago between 1874 – 1889 depicting posed clichés, humorous situations and examples of the popular spirit photography genre of the time. Image credit.

1900 [Women's fashion in nineteenth century Paris] (1902)

The Evolution of Women’s Fashion in 19th Century Paris

A collection of drypoint relief prints, handcolored with watercolor from the monograph, Les modes féminines du XIXe siècle, interprétées en cent pointes sèches aquarellées au pinceau, 1801-1900 by Henri Boutet. Henri Boutet, while following one by one the changes of fashion, is a fine and exquisite artist. It is recognized in its Ioli dividers, costumes reminiscent of a century and the loyalty of women’s fashions is both original and delicious. – from the Catalogue de livres modernes composant la bibliothèque [...]

R. Caldecott's second collection of pictures and songs : contain

Hey Diddle Diddle, The Cat and the Fiddle – Illustrations by Randolph Caldecott ca. 1885

There are numerous theories about the origin of the rhyme, these include: James Orchard Halliwell’s suggestion that it was a corruption of ancient Greek, probably advanced as a result of a deliberate hoax; that it was connected with Hathor worship; that it refers to various constellations (Taurus, Canis minor, the Big Dipper etc.); that it describes the Flight from Egypt; that [...]

J.L. Mott Iron Works’ 1888 Patent Folding Urinals

Folding urinals made of iron or porcelain, operating in a manner similar to a folding wash basin, are sometimes used. They are flushed by a cock being opened with the cover of the urinal. The cock is shut when the cover is raised and closed. This apparatus is usually set in a recc ss of [...]

Illustrating the Rise of the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower…the colossus of iron is worthy of its position as the triumphal porch of the Exhibition of 1889. It is the great Edifice of the close of that 19th century whose discoveries mark it as the greatest of all epochs during which humanity has been working out its evolution. Half the world will come to admire the efforts which France has thought fit to make to show her vitality; and none will deny that the amount of talent displayed on the Champ de Mars [...]

Views of Salisbury Cathedral ca. 1865-1885

Salisbury is unique amongst medieval English cathedrals having been built in just 38 years (1220 – 1258) in a single architectural style, early English Gothic. The tower and spire (Britain’s tallest) were added about 50 years later. The building itself is remarkable, a testimony to the faith and practical skills of those who erected it. [...]

Chinese opium smokers in there [sic] dens, 1889

“Photos of Chinese opium smokers in there [sic] dens in China Town in 1889″ Opium smoking arrived in North America with the large influx of Chinese who came to participate in the California Gold Rush. The jumping-off point for the gold fields wasSan Francisco, and the city’s Chinatown became the site of numerous opium dens soon after the first Chinese [...]

Hostility towards Chinese Immigration to the United States during the 1880s

Starting with the Gold Rush, Chinese migrated to California and other regions of the United States in search of work. As several photographs show, many Chinese found work in the gold mines and on the railroads. They accepted $32.50 a month to work on the Union Pacific in Wyoming in 1870 for the same job [...]

A Different Type of “Mac” Ad

A man of diverse scientific interests, Dr. McIntosh founded the McIntosh N.U. Supporter Co. in the early 1870′s. He also entered the medical electric field, first incorporating as the “McIntosh Galvanic Belt and Battery Co.“. His 1881 ad for this company featured a microscope convertible to a stereopticon as well as a conventional small medical [...]

A Parody on Iolanthe

(Respectfully dedicated to the Conductors of the Chicago & Alton Railroad.) (By D. Dalziel, Editor of the Chicago News-Letter.) SCENE. – A fairy glade on the Chicago & Alton Railway, at Holy Cross, Illinois. The country bears evidence of the utmost prosperity. It is early in June, yet the fields for miles in every direction [...]

Portraits from Nyasaland (Malawi) ca. 1885

From Wikipedia: The area of Africa now known as Malawi had a very small population of hunter gatherers before waves of Bantus began emigrating from the north around the 10th century. Although most of the Bantus continued south, some remained permanently and founded tribes based on common ancestry. By 1500 AD, the tribes had established a kingdom that reached from north of what [...]

King and Elizabeth Street corner from Sydney, 1890 / photographe

Candid Views of Sydney, Australia in the 1890s

Candid street scenes in Sydney, photographed by Arthur K. Syer, showing transport deliveries, barrow shopping, queues at Circular Quay, shipping, street cleaning, children playing, scenes at horse races and at a fair and farming scenes. The subjects indicate that they were probably taken with a hidden camera. Arthur Syer, brother of the artist Walter Syer, [...]