Trying to establish the time period of this photograph (Page 2): Looking at the clothing "Alice" is wearing no way this was taken in 1862. 1862 would be wide hoop skirts and hair...

lwhite61 Loc: Kentucky

bittermelon wrote:

Supposedly this is a photograph of the Chinese Emp... (show quote)

Looking at the clothing "Alice" is wearing no way this was taken in 1862. 1862 would be wide hoop skirts and hair pulled up/back with tight ringlets. Clothing looks to be early 1900s

Just looked at some photos of Alice from her 1905 trip to China. One photo of her on a ship she has on the same clothing as this picture with a different hat. Maybe the # at bottom of photo is not a date but catalog/photo #?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Everyone has a Chinese restaurant within driving distance, so it should be easy to get a translation - along with lunch (or dinner). My windshield still has half an inch of ice on it, so I'm not going anywhere.

Don, the 2nd son Loc: Crowded Florida

bittermelon wrote:

Since this is a photography forum, my question is whether a photo taken in 1862 (40 yrs after photography was invented) can be this quality. Or maybe it was restored and enhanced.

In mmy viewing experiences photos from the 1800's are typically tack sharp, this one is far from sharp! Therefore i'm suspicious of the whole thing. It doesn't "smell right."

Don, the 2nd son Loc: Crowded Florida

zenagain wrote:

Looking up the picture with Google image search this picture comes up with the following.
"This old photo is a photo of Yehenala Jingrong, the wife of Guogong Zaize in Wangye Town in the late Qing Dynasty, with a foreign woman and son."
It goes on to explain how affluent this woman was and how the Chinese didn't trust photography at first. It was in B&W and hand painted color.

Now this makes much more sense!!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Don, the 2nd son wrote:

Now this makes much more sense!!

Excellent, showing again: google is your friend.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

bittermelon wrote:

Supposedly this is a photograph of the Chinese Emp... (show quote)

It will be interesting to see if and how this post plays out. I have some thoughts or opinions but I am keeping them to myself. Old photographs are commonly hard to accurately ID.

bittermelon

zenagain wrote:

Looking up the picture with Google image search this picture comes up with the following.
"This old photo is a photo of Yehenala Jingrong, the wife of Guogong Zaize in Wangye Town in the late Qing Dynasty, with a foreign woman and son."
It goes on to explain how affluent this woman was and how the Chinese didn't trust photography at first. It was in B&W and hand painted color.

Very interesting information. A search of her name, Yehenala Jingrong, turns up additional info.

Fredrick Loc: Former NYC, now San Francisco Bay Area

traderjohn wrote:

Dec 4, 1861, at 3:23 PM

You forgot PST.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

lwhite61 wrote:

Looking at the clothing "Alice" is wearing no way this was taken in 1862. 1862 would be wide hoop skirts and hair pulled up/back with tight ringlets. Clothing looks to be early 1900s

Just looked at some photos of Alice from her 1905 trip to China. One photo of her on a ship she has on the same clothing as this picture with a different hat. Maybe the # at bottom of photo is not a date but catalog/photo #?

I too think you are right with the date based on the western woman's clothing.

dr7zyq

The character following the 1862 date is the character for "Year". What you have to find out is whether or not the year stated corresponds to the U.S. year or whether it is a different system. But it does clearly claim a date of 1862.

David, CT/I, USN

Drbobcameraguy Loc: Eaton Ohio

Don, the 2nd son wrote:

In mmy viewing experiences photos from the 1800's are typically tack sharp, this one is far from sharp! Therefore i'm suspicious of the whole thing. It doesn't "smell right."

I agree with you. It feels faked in some way. I'm not an expert but I do have the ability to pick up on let's say highly edited photos.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

lwhite61 wrote:

Looking at the clothing "Alice" is wearing no way this was taken in 1862. 1862 would be wide hoop skirts and hair pulled up/back with tight ringlets. Clothing looks to be early 1900s

Just looked at some photos of Alice from her 1905 trip to China. One photo of her on a ship she has on the same clothing as this picture with a different hat. Maybe the # at bottom of photo is not a date but catalog/photo #?

I agree. The clothing worn by that woman in the photo dates from the early 1900s. Here is an image of Alice Roosevelt wearing a different but similar outfit, with a longer coat, and a different hat on her 1905 cruise to China. While the OP's image doesn't look exactly like the many photos available of Alice Roosevelt, it seems pretty close and could be her.

Additionally, Empress Cixi was 70 years old in 1905 and existing photos of her later in life show a very different looking woman. So, I am guessing that it is either Alice Roosevelt with someone other than the Empress or someone other than Alice Roosevelt with someone other than the Empress, in which case the image could be a bit earlier than 1905, but certainly not 1862.

moonhawk Loc: Land of Enchantment

mwsilvers wrote:

I agree. The clothing worn by that woman in the ph... (show quote)

Doesn't look like the same woman to me, but I coukd be wrong. Interesting discussion.

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

Very intriguing post. the dates do not match up with dates of Roosevelt's wife or daughter being in China that year. Looking forward, with much interest, for additional comments and information.

Just noticed the characters in the lower right corner of the photo of Alice in 1905, what does that translate to?

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

bittermelon wrote:

Supposedly this is a photograph of the Chinese Emp... (show quote)

Awesome ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐