This weeks photo prompt was of Women in Parliament marching. I was going to just add one of my off topic items Ive been working on. Last night I was sorting many of the old photos I have. I need a system and could not find my plastic sleeves to put in spiral notebooks to have an easier way to find and go through things, so as I opened up one envelope, there I saw a picture that I felt spoke to me as a Sepia Saturday post.
On the Sepia Sat photo the women are all dressed with elaborate type breastplate designs or what have you on their dresses. With their hair pinned up or curls coming down on their head in the front and the back put up.
This is one my no name photos. No writing on back, and it seems the bottom corner is torn off where it may have said what state/place, etc. So all I have on the bottom left corner is “Tomlinson Bros” and nothing more, which Im sure was the photographer. After doing a quick google search, it appears there was one by that name in Hannibal, MO.
She looks almost as if she has some heavy breastplate action going with this dress! Not the usual Im used to seeing, anyone have any idea about this type of dress style? Think its a wedding photo as he is in a tux himself? What year do you suppose this is?
The dress seems so puffy and big, he cant even get too close to her due to the size of it! His shoulder is wedged into her shoulder poof.
Short and sweet this time, I have lots more detailed families to write on but none seemed the right fit this week. Until next time!
savethephotos 
Hannibal, Missouri, the land of Mark Twain – boys painting white picket fences, steam boat captains and all. I can picture it. Thanks for sharing the photo.
Herbert Tomlinson, is my husband’s Great Grandfather. His granddaughter, Margaret Hendrix now 88 has all the information on her grandpa Herbert Tomlinson: I quote her:”Minnette 1867-1939 was married to Herbert Tomlinson, photographer in Hannibal, and their daughter Jean T. Frazer was in the business until 1950s or so.That generation is all decsd, and none of the next seem to know what happened to her brothers, Will and Edwin/Edward. READ DETAILS at:
http://books.google.com/books?id=6gyxWHRLAWgC&lpg=PA317&ots=D9Ouxxh6bU&dq=Herbert tomlinson hannibal&pg=PA317#v=onepage&q=Herbert tomlinson hannibal&f=true
My name is Philip Tomlinson and Herbert Tomlinson, photographer,was my Grandfather and Jean Frazer, my Aunt ! I have many photos taken by them of Hannibal, MO including Mark Twain, et al. Is Ralph Tomlinson your husband’s Father ?
Sorry I am of no relation to the Tomlinsons. This is just a photo I found in an antique shop as I collect old photos and post them on my blog.
A belated response to clear up some misinformation in the above reply. My mother, Margaret Hastings Hendrix, loved genealogy and wouldn’t want incorrect info out there to trip up some researcher. She was married to Lloyd Trammell Hendrix who was a grandson of photographer Herbert Tomlinson by way of Herbert’s daughter, Margaret Cecelia Tomlinson Hendrix. Herbert was in business with his brother Anson for a few years c. 1885 and continued to run Tomlinson studios in Hannibal after Anson returned to Chicago. Jean Tomlinson Fraser’s brothers were Ralph and Herbert W. I believe that the Will and Edward mentioned above were the brothers of Herbert Sr.’s wife, Minnette Campell Tomlinson.
I can’t even guess the age of this. That’s some dress.
It does strike me as possibly a wedding photograph as well. The dress does make the poor woman look as broad as a linebacker – positively dwarfing her companion. From her face, she appears to be a petite woman but it is hard to say. I would really love to see the rest of that dress!
What a great photo. I have never seen a dress like this before either. She is very pretty though.
What a fantastic photo! Makes me wish I could wave my hand and say, “My family! They belong to me!” If I had to make a guess as to the time period based on the dress style, I’d guess Edwardian. I’ve seen dresses with similar trim, although not as overtly “armor-ish.” Great post!
I do know what you mean about some old photographs “speaking Sepia Saturday”. This is a fine example, it shouts Sepia Saturday. Thanks for sharing it.
I’d guess 1890s to early 1900s for the dress fashion. I have seen similar sleeves in the 1890s. They were very popular and often stuffed with a soft padding like a cotton batting to keep the shape. There’s a regular narrow sleeve inside and the pouf is around that. In the early 1900s the fashion lingered but by the Edwardian period it was really gone and the pigeon-breast look was dominant. I would also guess this is a wedding photo because of the man’s tuxedo, but since men didn’t start wearing tuxedos for weddings until the 20th century, I wonder if this is an 1890s “society” couple having their portrait made for their wedding. It is a beautiful photograph!
I am not familiar with fashions, but I thought the dress looked like something from another country.
Super photo. Perhaps a style influenced by her heritage? The photo’s landscape orientation is also less common, perhaps used in this period for the wide shoulder dresses.
I would say 1890’s as well, but the use of lace would surely indicate the onslaught of Edwardian preferences. But her hair, I think, ‘pulls’ her back into the 1890’s. Would love to see the waist – it would tell us more!