Multi-generational Portraits

Emma Dempster-Greenbaum owns this picture. It’s labeled “Grandmother & Sarah Ann.” The photographer was J.C. Cone and Sons of Farmington.

Emma dated this photo based on family information. At 11 months old, Sarah Ann Jackson immigrated to the United States with her parents in November, 1886.

The clothing details support this time frame. Sarah wears a typical baby dress while her grandmother’s conservative pleated skirt and fitted bodice are from the 1880s. Her dress lacks the bustle typically worn by younger women. Her eye-catching hat accessorizes her outfit—it’s tied with a wide ribbon at the chin, and the high crown features what looks like leaves and small berries. She holds a handkerchief, ready for a drooling baby.

The photographer also fits the time frame. Emma researched J.C. Cone and found he lived in Farmington, Ill. I double-checked and found Joseph C. Cone in both the 1900 census for Farmington and in a biographical encylopedia, Portrait Biographical Album of Fulton County, Illinois (1890).

There’s a bit of bragging in his business name. Cone was 58 in 1900, and his son, 27. When he printed the photographic card bearing this photo, his son was still a teenager just learning his father’s business.

It’s the grandmother’s presence that confuses the picture evidence. While Emma found an immigration record for Sarah Ann and her parents, she’s unable to verify that grandmother Catherine Dempster came with them. Catherine was the baby’s only living grandmother in the 1880s.

Emma wonders if this picture is a copy of one taken in England. That’s possible, but it’s also likely his is an original.

So, how old is Sarah Ann in this picture? She’s still a baby, based on her short hair and long dress. The length of the dress indicates she’s not walking yet—otherwise, the dress would be shorter to accomodate her steps. Since most children’s first steps occurring around a year to 15 months of age, Sarah Ann is probably less than a year old here.

Unfortunately, this data doesn’t help determine whether the photo was taken in Illinois shortly after arrival, or in England before she left.

I’ll be back next week with a follow-up.