Yesterday's Children

Elise is her real name

melisanda — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:27:36 +0000

Elise is the only child in this series whose name we know as it is handwritten at the bottom of the photograph. She appears very sad, or perhaps just tired of posing.

Elegant Deirdre

melisanda — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 08:23:30 +0000

A girl on the threshold of womanhood, Deirdre exudes an elegance and sophistication way beyond her years.

The innocence of childhood

melisanda — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 08:16:15 +0000

And here is Chloe, wearing one of the ‘popular’ hats … a hat which would be fasionable today.

Chloe is innocence personified.

Many of these photos were hand-coloured, or perhaps coloured in Photoshop in more recent times. Some were very badly done. Where this was the case, I converted them back to black and white, then to sepia, and lastly added very delicate colour in Photoshop.

So Chloe may not have been blue-eyed at all!

The very coy Candice

melisanda — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 06:20:11 +0000

If you’ve ever tried to photograph children, you’ll know how difficult it is to capture a natural expression, especially in a posed shot. Photographers of this period had no option but to pose their shots, yet, with primitive equipment by today’s standards, they were able to capture fleeting expressions in their young models.

Here the photographer catches Candice looking somewhat coy … or perhaps just a tiny bit sullen?

Beth: another Little Woman

melisanda — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 06:16:29 +0000

Beth is wearing one of the hats which features in a number of the photographs.

Amy … she could have come from ‘Little Women’

melisanda — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 06:08:15 +0000

I’m thoroughly enjoying the challenge of finding names for the girls … I may need some help after the first couple of hundred! ‘Amy’ has been one of my favourite names since I read Louisa May Alcott’s ‘Little Women’.

Joanna, a child in a splendid vintage hat

melisanda — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 06:05:02 +0000

Joanna’s faraway expression is intriguing. Don’t you wonder what she’s thinking?

You might have noticed that, so far, all the girls in these photos are wearing hats. Children of all eras just love dressing up, and there is something particularly charming about these little girls wearing hats that could have come from their mother’s wardrobe. However, it is more likely the hats were props in the photographer’s studio, for a number of the girls are wearing the same hats. Joanna’s hat is distinctive though, and could be a clue to her identity.

Jennifer

melisanda — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 05:43:30 +0000

Wouldn’t it be amazing if I chanced to get some of the names right! Today’s lost child is the lovely Jennifer.

Emily

melisanda — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:22:28 +0000

Banner-girl Emily is today’s lost child. She appears to have been one of the photographer’s favourite models as she appears in a number of the photos.

Lily

melisanda — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 04:33:05 +0000

Today’s lost child is Lily. She looks as though she’s just danced through a field of flowers.