Midwest Women Feathered Hats Laughing Edwardian Outing 1908 - Original Photo

USD 20.00

Condition: Not specified

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View Midwest Women Feathered Hats Laughing Edwardian Outing 1908 - Original Photo with current marketplace pricing, condition, product images and item details. By around 1910-1913, public outcry and the Audubon Society's campaigns began to curtail the practice, and by the mid-1910s, the fashion had largely faded. Folding chairs visible in the background suggest a public event or garden party setting, with bare late-autumn trees in the distance. An original 3x5.5" antique photo (NOT a modern reprint) from a set of photos from a Midwest family in 1908 that we acquired in a large lot. Likely one of a kind image. Photo Overview A charming candid snapshot from 1908 capturing two young women sharing a laugh outdoors, likely at a social gathering or outing somewhere in the American Midwest. Both women are dressed in the fashionable style of the Edwardian era, wearing large wide-brimmed hats dramatically adorned with feathers - a hallmark of women's fashion in the years just after the turn of the century. The woman in the foreground is caught mid-laugh, her joy completely unguarded, while her companion leans in close behind her with an arm around her shoulder. Folding chairs visible in the background suggest a public event or garden party setting, with bare late-autumn trees in the distance. This is a genuinely delightful slice of everyday Edwardian American life - rare because candid, unposed photography of this quality and spontaneity from 1908 is uncommon. Most surviving photos from this era are stiff formal portraits. This one captures real human warmth and friendship in a way that feels surprisingly modern. Historical Notes In 1908, the Edwardian era in America was in full swing, and the elaborate feathered hats worn by these women were at the absolute peak of fashion. The large plumed hat style - sometimes called the 'Merry Widow hat' after a popular operetta of the time - was so widely worn that it sparked a significant conservation controversy: millions of birds were being killed annually to supply the millinery trade with feathers, driving species like egrets and herons toward extinction. By around 1910-1913, public outcry and the Audubon Society's campaigns began to curtail the practice, and by the mid-1910s, the fashion had largely faded. The women in this photo were wearing a style that was already on borrowed time. Within a decade, the suffrage movement and the practicalities of World War I would dramatically reshape American women's fashion, shortening skirts and simplifying hats forever. Text Present Front: No text visible. Back: The back of the photo shows heavy black ink blotting or staining covering most of the surface, obscuring any writing that may have been present. No legible text can be recovered from the reverse. Print analysis This is a small-format gelatin silver snapshot print consistent with amateur photography of the 1908 era. The sepia toning, paper stock, and printing style are all consistent with a Type 1 original print made at or very close to the time the photograph was taken. The back shows severe ink staining rather than any photographic paper watermarks. The overall image quality and tonal range support an original period print, circa 1908. Condition In fair to good vintage condition. Category: Collectibles › Photographic Images › Photographs.