I found this woman for the Haunted Relics department, and she appears to have reached the end of her patience.
There's something wonderfully stark about this portrait. The center parted hair, dark lace at her throat, tiny bar brooch and completely unsmiling expression give her exactly the kind of Victorian presence that makes an old photograph interesting even when the sitter's name has disappeared with time.
And that's what I love about these photographs. Somebody kept her. Somebody knew exactly who she was. More than a century later, we get the face and almost none of the story.
She belongs tucked into a Victorian gallery wall, propped among antique books and curiosities, added to a Halloween display, or placed on an altar for intuitive work, ancestor work or photographic divination. You could even adopt her as your fictional disapproving great aunt. Frankly, she already looks qualified.
No psychic reading has been performed on this photograph, and I make no claims that the sitter was in mourning or that anything paranormal is attached to the portrait. You're adopting an authentic old photograph with a lost history. Whatever you notice after that is between you and her.
Details
Original antique cabinet card photograph
Victorian era female portrait
Photographer: J. P. Rhodes
Studio location: Reading, Michigan
Unidentified sitter
Dark dress with lace collar and small bar brooch
Photograph shows age related fading, toning, spotting and surface wear
Card mount shows age and handling wear
Sold as found
Display easel and styling props not included
