Wm. Hampton, 195½ Argyle St., 1894 to 1914+







The peaked shoulders and 'leg of mutton' sleeves of the ladies below are characteristic of the mid 1890s. The cards are numbered 1042 and 1117 respectively on the back which given the typical throughput of studios, suggests they probably came from the first years at this location. These cdvs share the same painted backdrop, and both cards are dark green with gold lettering, and plain on the reverse. Unusually, the back of the later one is coloured red.


thk = 35 - 40   G   No. 1042 thk = 36 - 39   G   No. 1117




The setting for the family group below seems to include the same curtain as in the first cdv above, and on the right the same curtain as in the cabinet card below. It is numbered 6419 on the back, which suggests it might in fact be later than the card below - the lettering suggests a different sequence from the numbering. The font used is different from both the cards above and below.

thk = 33 - 44   G   No. 6419



The first cabinet card below carries the number 4534 on a plain back. This example shows a more elaborate backcloth than the cards above, but has similar lettering. The second, numbered 1477 looks a later product, perhaps suggesting a re-start of the numbering system, and is possibly the same sequence as the card below, with which it shares the same font and front design. This one is blank on the back, however.


thk = 39 - 48   G   No. 4534 No. 1477
The above image courtesy of Susan Breakenridge.




An ornate and complex studio setting for this elegant portrait below. The plant which has been added to provide support is hopefully artificial, but is not quite high enough to keep the lady vertical. The pot seems to be the same one that appears on the right in the cdv at the top. Cards with this design on the back are known numbered from 1543 to the number on this one, 6541, and are probably still from the nineteenth century.


thk = 38 - 43   G   No. 6541



The four cabinet cards below are each hand numbered on an otherwise blank back 1623, 2525, 3132, and 4549. The design of the 1st, 3rd and 4th is known from other practioners (eg, Whyte) and dated to 1906 - 1908. The second is a slightly larger card, with a different pattern, and the text seems small, more cdv scale, though these are rare at this date. The first refers to 'Hamptons' rather than 'Hampton'. The 3rd and 4th cards share the same backdrop, and the fourth shows that the plantpot on the cdv at the top is still in use!


thk = 42 - 45   SM   No. 1623 thk = 42 - 47   GM   No. 2525


thk = 40 - 45  SM   No. 3132 thk = 38 - 42   SM   No. 4549



The cdv below shares the same style of lettering as the last card above, so might be expected to be from roughly the same date. It is on a textured card, with the print cut to a circle and placed in the formed space.

thk = 40 - 46











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