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06-02-2013, 11:36 PM,
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RE: Mary's Reputation
(06-02-2013, 11:14 PM)LincolnMan Wrote: Ah, let me see-it's the one where she is seated and has the white flowers in her bonnet.
While I can not get 'in Mary's head' and know exactly why she had this photo taken, there are many reasons why she should have had one taken. First, let's remember that we do not know for certain Mary is wearing mourning - but there are clues in this dress that she was. In 1862 - 1863, day dresses became plainer in style. One fashion magazine stated that “The morning dress is more than ever simple and in the street a lady ought to appear, as it were,
incognito."
Mary's dress follows this style. She appears not as a First Lady, but as an everyday woman.
Following the fashionable style for '62-'63, it is probable that Mary is wearing mourning and her dress is black. The veil on the bonnet was worn to keep the dust out of her face. Other clues are the white spray of flowers - indicate mourning for a child. Her bonnet ribbons are trimmed in white; the collar is white; the undersleeves are white, all soften the mourning and can be indicators of mourning a child.
Another fashionable style during these years was to have large, Greek key designs, or other large trims at the bottom of the skirt. Mary's skirt is plain - again indicating mourning.
So why a photo? Perhaps this was her way of letting the public know that she was beginning to receive guests again. Entertainments would return to the White House, and the social calendar would resume.
You will also find this photo on card stock dated 1865, 1866, and perhaps even later. This is because the photographer owned the negative and reprinted them whenever his supply ran out. CDV's were collected in the same manner that baseball cards are collected now.
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06-03-2013, 04:13 PM,
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RE: Mary's Reputation
(06-03-2013, 02:21 PM)RJNorton Wrote: Donna, I have a copy of Lloyd Ostendorf's The Photographs of Mary Todd Lincoln. Do you know if there have been any "new discoveries" since that was published?
No new photographs - just changes in several dates. Plus, many historians are now saying that is not really Mary in the photo with the Native Americans.
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06-03-2013, 06:56 PM,
(This post was last modified: 06-03-2013, 07:15 PM by L Verge.)
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L Verge
Hero Member
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Posts: 9,092
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RE: Mary's Reputation
When did the Indian chieftains visit D.C. and Lincoln?
Here's a link to the Indians' visit to the White House on March 27, 1863 - not 1862:
http://abrahamlincolnandthecivilwar.word...t-lincoln/
According to this it was taken in the White House Conservatory and was done in groups. Notice the reference to B.B. French looking over Kate Chase's shoulder. If there was more than one group, my bet is that Mrs. Lincoln would not have been in the same photo with Kate!
Anybody see Kate in this photo?
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06-03-2013, 10:21 PM,
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RE: Mary's Reputation
This is one of the photos which now is given a different date from that assigned by Ostendorf. There is no way to dispute the date of the Natiive American chiefs visit.
I do not think that Ninian Edwards was in Washington in 1863 - but I am not sure.
If the photo is indeed Mary, the bonnet strings are the same (or very similar) to the bonnet strings she wore in the CDV Bill mentioned. This is another reason to date the photo of her seated as late 1862 or early 1863. Mary was coming out of her one year mourning period for Willie.
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Mary's Reputation
