by

The innocence of childhood

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!

chloe

by

The very coy Candice

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?

candice

by

Joanna, a child in a splendid vintage hat

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.

joanna