UNDATED – Portrait of a young lady. © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com/Photo: Ferd. Urbahns
The story behind the image
Here’s an old cabinet photo that I purchased recently. It shows a young lady in the photo studio of Ferdinand Urbahns in Kiel, Germany. Sadly, the image does not carry any notes or dates, so it is quite difficult to find out more about her.
It is even challenging to find out the approximate date to determine when the image was shot, though. It is likely to be between 1890 and 1893, because Urbahns opened his own studio in Kiel in 1890 and also began participating in exhibitions. As part of that he received prizes which he promoted on the back of his photos. He won the first prize in 1891 (Dresden), and another one in Wiesbaden (1892). These two prizes are the first to appear on the backsides of his photos. I have not seen a photo with just the Dresden prize on the back, so he probably started this practice in 1892 or 1893. This photo, however, does not carry any information on the prizes.
The clothing, hairstyle and pose confirm this assumption. The lady wears a dress that is very typical late 19th century. Several details:
- High collar. Such collars were common from around the 1870s to the 1890s, especially in combination with narrow sleeves.
- Close-fitting bodice with decorative buttons and velvet/lace appliqués. This is characteristic of fashion from the 1880s to the early 1890s.
- Jewelry. Subtle neck jewelry and bracelets were fashionable during this period.
- Hair pinned up with waves and knots. This was a very popular hairstyle from around 1880 to 1895.
- The seated posture with a calm, slightly serious expression and the holding of a book were also typical elements of formal studio photography of the late 19th century.
- The background, the fringed and velvet furnishings, and the soft vignetting of the image were common from around 1870 to around 1900.
To conclude, based on the clothing, hairstyle, pose, and photographic style, the photo was most likely taken between 1885 and 1895. Since Ferd. Urbahns opened his studio in 1890, it is very likely to have been shot between 1890 and 1893 (when he started to use his won prizes for promotion.)
Anyway, I really like this image.
P.S.: Read more about Ferd. Urbahns at Kiel Wiki (in German.)
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | c. 1891 |
| Location | Kiel, Germany |
| Photographer | Ferd. Urbahns |
| Image Source | 6 x 9 cm black & white Carte de Visite (CdV) |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 5779 x 8442 Pixels |
| Copyright | Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com/Photo: Ferd. Urbahns |
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