This photo is dated "Summer, 1886." This young woman looks demure in her beautiful white dress and broad-brimmed hat. She holds a small nosegay in her right hand. I love all the elaborate lace insertion and trimming!

Here is a rare look at a group of house servants, circa 1880-90. Each gal is holding something to do with her occupation. On the far left is a cleaning maid with her broom and dustpan. Next is a young girl holding what looks like a cup and saucer

This lovely young lady is wearing a style so typical of the late 1880s. The form-fitting basque bodice is accented by jet buttons and a pretty appliqued trim. The high collar is fastened with a brooch. Note the ruffled trim at the back of the skirt.

Cute hat! This is so typical of the 1870s. See how it perches on the head? And what about that trimming? Cute!

This young lady is wearing an 1870s dress with a bustle at the back. This was a transition period from the early 1870s fashions with trains to the "upholstered" fashions of the 1880s with their huge bustles and furbelows.

Time for some hairdo pictures! The lady on the far left was likely photographed in the late 1860s. Her hair is not quite as high as the styles of the 1870s, but she has the frizzled little "bangs" and the waved sides typical of the late 1860s. Note her fancy neck ribbon. The young lady in the middle has braided her thick hair

Here are two mid-to-late-1870s ladies posing with their CDV album. Note the braided coronets of hair on top of their heads--very 1870s. And the princess-lined styling of their dresses is lovely.

This also looks like an early 1870s picture. You can easily see the train at the back of the skirt, and the woman's hairstyle is puffed a bit higher rather than combed down flat across the crown. Note the lovely dark lace shawl!

I am not certain of the date of this photograph. The fact that the young woman has bangs makes me think it is late 1860s or early 1870s, but the neckline of her ballgown is purely 1860s. Note her ornate cross necklace and earrings. I love these hand-tinted photographs

Here is a lovely Irish lady, photographed in Dublin. Her gown shows the trend toward the bustle that began to appear in the late 1860s.This was probably taken in the early 1870s--note the elaborate trimming of the dress and her "high" hairstyle. You can also see that the skirt is still fairly wide rather than swept back and narrower as began to happen as the bustle shape took over.

This is a late 1860s/early 1870s gown. Note the longer skirt back and the bodice trimming with its squared yoke. The lady's hairstyle is very interesting--showing how women were moving away from the low, flat styles of the Civil War and into hairstyles that piled everything on top.

What a dress! This is definitely attention-getting. I'd place this around the end of the 1860s or early 1870s, since the lady's hairstyle is up on top of her head with cascading curls and because the trim on this gown is more typical of that time period

These photographs depict two different women wearing the exact same outfit and posing in the same studio. A photo archivist from New York City confirmed to me that studios kept clothing on hand for clients who wanted to "dress up" for their portraits!

These three photographs were taken by the same photagrapher in the 1860s. On the far left is a young girl, probably just entering her teen years. Note that her bodice is fan-pleated and not as fitted as a grown-up lady's would be. In the center is a seated lady wearing a tartan printed skirt and a dark bodice with white undersleeves and collar.

Here is a young lady who was also photographed in San Francisco. Her dark dress is accented by white or colored buttons down the front, a white collar and a large brooch at the neck. She is also wearing a belt with belt buckle. Probably early-to-mid-1860s.

Here is a woman who was photographed in San Francisco around the middle 1860s. It is difficult to make a guess at her age. While she looks older, it could just be premature aging due to the fact that she has already lost some teeth (note her sunken cheeks and drooping mouth).

This lady is wearing a striking outfit of the mid-to-late 1860s. The Garibaldi blouse with its full sleeves is covered by a "waist," a corset-like vest that emphasizes the wearer's waistline.

This is my great-great-great-great-grandmother, Mary Foster Ethell. The photograph for her CDV was taken in Cumberland, Ohio, during the 1860s. I wish the top part of the photo had not been smudged, since it makes her face hazy.

This woman is wearing a dress with gently gathered (rather than fitted) bodice. The front buttons are decorative. She appears to be wearing a snood.

This photograph was probably taken in the mid-to-late 1860s. Note the Garibaldi blouse with the Zouave jacket over top. The skirt is not as full as those in the early 1860s. I love the simple trimming of the skirt.