Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Forgotten Little Boy With the Unforgettable Outfit


Tully family Hull artist Chicago striped socks young boy seated
While Agnes Tully Stevens may have done well in passing down her collection of letters and other written documents, I cannot say that photographs fared as well under her care. Perhaps that was owing to the “help” of several children in the Stevens household. A picture is perhaps more attractive to younger eyes—more attractive, at least, than a letter which can be secretly folded up and tucked away in a quiet repository in the back corner of a bedroom dresser or writing desk.

So, along with the bedraggled likeness of “Uncle Will” from a few days ago, we feature another cabinet card today. This one, while at least preserving the subject matter intact, boasts for a backing a misplaced magazine ad for Strickland’s Stomach Bitters—which, perhaps thanks to the contents of the very bottle itself, found an adhesive to bind its glossy record to the back and underside of this photograph.

As for the reverse—the front, that is, of the photograph—there is no mark identifying the young subject other than the Chicago studio’s imprint, which reads simply, “Hull, Artist.” The boy seems accommodating enough for the photographer, as well as for his mother, whoever she was, who carefully parted and combed his hair in a presentable manner. His outfit, a double-breasted pin-striped suit, is remarkably offset by eye-catching legwear.

I would, of course, love to know who this young gentleman was. But unless other details surface from the now quite diminished collection of Agnes’ papers, I guess I will never know.

10 comments:

  1. Great outfit! My younger daughter would have loved those stockings for herself at one time. He looks like an adorable little boy. I do hope you find a clue to his identity. I'm sure you've been studying his features and comparing them to photos of adults.

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    1. Funny, Wendy, but I was thinking that same thing: it would be a great fashion statement for some girls nowadays!

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  2. I love that droopy eyed look with the "in your face!" socks!

    Perhaps under the Strickland’s Stomach Bitters mess is a name...

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    1. I had thought about prying that thing loose, Iggy, but it is really cemented in place...plus the placement isn't right. It's at the bottom of the card (you can see bits of it at the bottom of the scan). Nothing else is written on the card, and that would be an odd place to put it--even if I could pull off the paper!

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  3. Wow lucky you to receieve such a treasure. I love his stiped stockings. Rare find indeed, its great. I like you posted these photos. I love to see other people families. So much we can learn from each other.

    Happy Hunting,
    DuSyl of dusyl.blogspot.com

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    1. I noticed you have quite a few old family pictures on your own blog, DuSyl! These old photographs are indeed a treasure. As for the stockings, well...some outrageous fashions never go out of style, do they?

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  4. Love the socks! Wonder whether it was mother or child who made the decision to wear them. Hopefully you will soon be able to identify this young man.

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    1. Denise, I'm so sorry--I just discovered that your comment got socked away in the "spam" folder, but for some reason I wasn't flagged. A belated thank you for stopping by!

      It would indeed be fun to know whose fashion statement this was. Even now, though, I have no clue who this young man was. Hopefully, some day a relative will stumble upon this photograph and leave a comment. I had that happen once before--after a six month long wait. Patience is definitely the needed virtue here.

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  5. Possibly this is the same "Will" as the other photo? Just a younger photo? is this photo card a CdV? It looks like one..is it the size of a wallet photo? The striped socks date to before 1900...as does the double breasted jacket. I want to say 1878- 1880. :)

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    1. Funny you mention this. I had that same fleeting thought, but dismissed it--maybe too soon. I'll have to revisit that comparison of the originals in some good lighting.

      I'm not as experienced with the history angle on these photographs as you are, Far Side, but I thought this was a cabinet card. The dimensions are approximately 4 1/4" by 6 1/2" on a sturdy card backing.

      Well, if this is our Will again, he certainly has a liking for double-breasted jackets ;)

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