UNDATED – A cabinet photo shows a young couple in a studio in Hamburg, Germany. Photo: Otto Haase, Hamburg
The story behind the image
If you follow my blog you know that I am a big fan of historic portrait photos. Sadly, many of them come without any personal information, just like this one. At least we typically get the name and location of the photographer. The photo technique and clothes can help determining the approximate shooting date (which is usually a range of years.)
So, this couple was photographed by Otto Haase in Hamburg. According to fotorevers.eu, he ran his studio in the prestigious location Börsenbrücke 2a from 1904 to 1910. Then he moved to the Heintzehof which had its main entrance at Alstertor 16, also very close to the city center. Here, he stayed just for two years until 1911. His further fate is unknown.
I like the photo, and the couple. I estimate their ages to be around 25 to 30 years. They appear to come from Hamburg’s upper middle class. Both their clothing and their confident appearance suggest this. The fact that they chose a medium-sized cabinet photo (9 x 16.5 cm) from a studio photographer at an exclusive address also points to a moderate wealth.
The lady wears two rings on the ring finger of her right hand which is a clear sign for a wedding ring, or combination of wedding ring and engagement ring. The gentleman, however, does not wear any rings on his ring fingers (but on his small fingers.)
Heck, I like them.
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | undated, c. 1905 |
| Photographer | Otto Haase, Hamburg |
| Location | Hamburg, Germany |
| Image Source | Albumen print from a glass negative, mounted, cabinet format (c. 8 x 16.5 cm) |
| 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 | 7166 x 14002 Pixels |
| Copyright | Photo: Otto Haase, Hamburg Scan: © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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