“Young Woman With a No-Nonsense Demeanor”
/Hugh S. Anderson’s Portrait Photograph of a “Young woman with a no-nonsense demeanor”
THE PHOTOGRAPHER/ PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO:
HUGH S. ANDERSON was born in 1826 in Scotland and died in 1900 in San Francisco, California. He was active in Petaluma as early as January 1872, and he departed Petaluma in December 1873. His Sunbeam Gallery was located, “At the Old Stand, Opposite H. C. Taft & Co.’s”. (For additional information on this photographer and to view all portraits by him in the collection, click on his name in blue above.)
THE SITTER:
Name: Unidentified
Description: In this carte de visite, a very handsome young woman sits on a wooden chair, resting her right arm in her lap and her left arm on a pedestal table. She gazes out directly at the viewer exuding a no-nonsense demeanor. The placement of her hat and shawl on the table creates a narrative that implies a hasty, laconic, let’s-get-down-to-business arrival. Under her arm, lying on the table appears to be the edge of a book. Its inclusion may have been carefully planned to portray her as an educated woman. She wears a homemade matching skirt and waisted overdress. The skirt has a circle of ruffles about a foot above the hem. The overdress has multilayered cuffs and a ruffled hem and yoke. If one looks carefully, it is evident that her ensemble has been economically pieced to utilize fabric scraps. Around her neck is a fringed scarf and a distinctive necklace of white beads. Her hair is center-parted, combed behind her ears, and allowed to fall freely behind her back.
Biographical Note:
Family Affiliation:
Bibliography:
THE PHOTOGRAPH:
Format / Size: carte de visite
Medium: albumen photographic print mounted on cardstock
Description, front:
Description, back: Hugh Anderson’s imprint is on the center of the back of this carte de visite. Anderson created several versions of his Petaluma imprint. An expanded, possibly later, version appears here. It is printed in red ink and includes four lines of text, each in a different font. The text is embellished above and below with a horizontally flipped, elaborate flourish.
Date: January 1872 - December 1873
Condition: The center of this carte de visite has slight foxing which makes it appear that the fabric of the sitter’s dress is a print, but it is actually a solid color.
Owner: Pete Vilmur Collection, digital copy by permission
Reproduction rights: The Petaluma Museum Association makes no assertions as to ownership of any original copyrights to the digitized images here reproduced. These images are intended for personal or research use only. Any other kind of use, including, but not limited to commercial or scholarly publication in any medium or format, public exhibition, or use online or in a web site, may be subject to additional restrictions including but not limited to the copyrights held by parties other than the Association. USERS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE for determining the existence of such rights and for obtaining any permissions and/or paying associated fees necessary for the proposed use.