UNDATED – Portrait of a lady. © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com/Photo: Ferd. Urbahns
The story behind the image
Here’s an old cabinet card that I purchased recently. It has been mounted to thin cardboard that resembles more a strong paper than the typical solid cardboard of CdVs. The photo is in a superb condition and shows a mature lady in the photo studio of Ferdinand Urbahns in Kiel, Germany. Sadly, the image does not carry any notes or dates, and – like so often – it is impossible to find out more about her.
It is even challenging to find out the approximate date to determine when the image was shot. It is likely to be between 1895 and 1910 because the photographer stamp on the front mentions the title of ‘Hofphotograph’, i.e. official photographer of prince Heinrich von Preußen and his court. It also shows the address of the studio at Schloßgarten 17.
The clothing (high, narrow collar with brooch, fine patterned fabric, long necklace, dark jacket with large buttons) suggests a period of from 1895 to 1900. The hairstyle (center parting, pulled back and pinned up, without fashionable curls) also fits well with this period.
I 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 | 5.8 x 9 cm black & white photo mounted to thin cardboard |
| 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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