Preponderance of Evidence
In this post we are going to digress a bit from our usual technique of examining a single element found in photographs, and describing its frequency and temporal distribution, to discuss briefly our methodology. To fully understand the relevance of our observations, you need to understand how we arrived at the conclusions we draw from the available data.
The first question then, is: What is the ‘available data?’ We draw on three collections of dated images, using them individually or in combination depending on the nature of the question at hand. Each of them has its own limitations and characteristics that make it suitable for answering some questions, but not others. The primary qualification here is that they all are ‘dated’ images — but how do we know those dates are accurate? We will address that question in detail later in this post, first let’s look at the data sources.
One excellent source that we frequently use is the book Dressed for the Photographer, Ordinary Americans & Fashion, 1840-1900, by Joan Severa. Ms Severa is an expert in antique fashions, and applies her knowledge to some 280 photographs, beautifully reproduced. She describes the styles of each decade with about 25 pages of text, then goes on to show and discuss in detail actual photos from that decade. The book includes a useful 25 page glossary as well. In all over 600 big 8 x 11 inch pages make this hefty tome a gold-mine for those interested in antique photography.