Who is this person?

[Eva Elisabeth]

(10-05-2019 08:46 PM)L Verge Wrote:  

(10-05-2019 08:27 PM)Susan Higginbotham Wrote:  

(10-05-2019 08:15 PM)L Verge Wrote:  

(10-05-2019 08:02 PM)Susan Higginbotham Wrote:  Is it possible that the photo has been misdated and mislabeled, and the man resembles Beveridge because he actually IS Beveridge? There is a photo of a woman I am currently researching that is generally identified as being taken in 1859, but I always had my doubts, because the woman's hairstyle, dress, and apparent age all pointed to a later date. One day I was browsing on Ancestry and saw the photo from which all of the published copies are taken, and my suspicions were confirmed--the woman was holding her two oldest children, which have been obscured in the published versions, which meant that it could not have been taken before the early 1870s.

I think we both may have been posting at the same time, Susan. Did you get a chance to see my very last post about Miss Eddy's formal attire as a debutante being presented at a royal court? That seems to confirm the date of the photo at least.

Yes, we did cross-post! The veil, etc. do seem consistent with the ones mentioned in the piece you linked to.

Rob, you have created a whole new learning experience for me. Members, here's another link detailing court presentations under Victoria and later: http://www.edwardianpromenade.com/etique...sentation/

I got fascinated with the references to the headpiece being ostrich feathers and got a lesson on that. Those poor ostriches were being killed for their feathers for quite some time before farmers started raising them and plucking instead of killing. And, those feathers were used for fans and other adornments well into the 1900s -- remember those burlesque queens who hid certain parts behind those huge ostrich feathers?

AussieMick - how many ostriches still remain in Australia? During the 19th century, many of those birds and feathers came from your Land Down Under.

One more note: Many of us have heard of and seen photos and drawings of jewelry and other items fashioned as the "Prince of Wales Feathers." Later forms of hair jewelry were especially popular in that design -- one high feather in the center and two shorter ones flanking it; the hair jewelry has "plumes" of hair mocking the feather.

I am now onto checking about the "levee," a term that is kin to court presentations and one that is often used in reference to the Lincolns' White House. Did Mary mimic Victoria's courts?

Laurie, here's some interesting info on the history of ostrich farming - Australia began in 1870, by 1914 wearing ostrich feathers stigmatized the one who wore, so the "industry" collapsed. Anyway not an Australian bird, and way less related to the emu than most people think - both species just resemble in appearance due to developing in and adapting to similar environment.
http://livestocklibrary.com.au/handle/1234/19657

[L Verge]

Thanks, Eva. I read in one of the links that Queen Victoria may have started the trend of accessorizing with huge feathers because she detested small feathers, especially on women's hats. Certainly the Victorians had a fascination with birds in general, hence the large collections of stuffed birds in fancy cabinets that were found in many middle- and upper-class homes into the 20th century. I still have a very large, mean-looking stuffed owl stored in my basement. It was given to my mother in 1924, when she was ten, by an ancient lady who had gotten it many years earlier.

Moving on to my small findings on the levees mentioned in connection with royal festivities during the 19th century: First, it was quite hard to find that word without the French accent keys on my computer. Without the "aigu" (correct spelling, Rogerm?) over the second "e" in the word, I kept being doused with water information. With our current drought on the east coast, I do not need instructions on how to build levees.

The root word here is French, "lever," meaning "to rise." The term levee, itself, dates to Charlemagne and is too lengthy and weird to adequately describe, but it dealt with a morning ritual of French monarchs to receive those who wanted to "rise up" in their aristocratic status during the monarch's morning ritual of getting dressed. There was something similar related to preparation for going to bed --"coucher." Each person received individual attention rather than the crush of office seekers that used to irritate Lincoln years later.

Anyhow, this was passed down through Louis XIV in France and then taken up by British kings (starting, I think) with Charles II. It was finally copied in America, but changed to lunch, afternoon, or evening receptions by early colonial governors and even our early presidents. It seemed to stop with Thomas Jefferson, but the receptions continued as levees in England, and President and Mrs. Lincoln held them in the White House. They seem to have involved more political and diplomatic corps personnel who wanted to be considered for movement up the ladder. It makes sense to me that Mary Lincoln, with her knowledge of the French language and culture would bring the practice into the White House.

[AussieMick]

Ostriches? There was quite an industry on hobby farms (around 50 acres) in Australia where ostriches became a 'craze'. Rather like a ponzi or pyramid selling scheme, the price of ostriches and their eggs reached quite high (LOL) prices. The thing with ostriches is that every part of them can be used. Eggs, skin, meat, and feathers.
when I googled just now I see that there are hobby farms in the US using ostriches.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-02/e...t/10190990

BTW, the male emu cares for the eggs and chicks.

[Rogerm]

With regard to what Laurie said above, here is an illustration of the French "accent aigu" in a word: "levée."

[Rob Wick]

Who is this gentleman. First clue: He has nothing to do with ostriches.

Best
Rob

[L Verge]

(10-07-2019 03:16 PM)Rob Wick Wrote:  

Who is this gentleman. First clue: He has nothing to do with ostriches.

Best
Rob

Are you sure that thing under his nose isn't a baby ostrich's feather?

Question to your question - is this gentleman another comrade of the Sandburg era?

[Rob Wick]

There's no question that he was known to many in that time.

Best
Rob

[RJNorton]

Henry Clay Whitney?

[AussieMick]

I was going to joke 'Groucho Marx on his day off' but in view of your hint about being known to many I'll say he was a radio broadcaster.

[Rob Wick]

Sorry Roger, but it isn't Whitney.

Mike, it isn't any one of the Marx Brothers (especially their least funny brother, Karl), and it isn't a radio broadcaster.

Next clue. He was born in Europe.

Best
Rob

[L Verge]

I've only seen photos of Otto Eisenschml in later years, but I'll take a guess that it is him?

[Rob Wick]

Good guess, Laurie, but it isn't Eisenschiml.

Best
Rob

---

In 1937, he tried to mount a production on the life of Lincoln, although this is by no means his greatest claim to fame.

Best
Rob

[RJNorton]

Lord Charnwood?

[Rob Wick]

Again, that's a great guess, Roger, but it isn't Lord Charnwood.

One of his contributions to Lincolniana is that he presented information not generally studied by many people.

Best
Rob

[Gene C]

He looks a lot like this guy from a different camera angle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalinism#...P_1942.jpg

Those last two clues really threw me off for a minute