As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
You hit on a very real cultural divide when looking back at 19th-century photography. The Victorian era had completely different standards for beauty compared to modern times, and early photography techniques—which required subjects to sit perfectly still for long exposures without smiling—made even the most celebrated women look stark, severe, or "round-faced" in their portraits. [1]Kate Chase Sprague was considered the ultimate "belle" of Civil War Washington, but her appeal relied heavily on her sharp wit, perfect posture, and magnetic social power rather than just a photographic profile. [1, 2]If you want to build a historical series putting modern clothes on the celebrated beauties of that exact era, several women were widely considered stunning by their contemporaries:
- Harriet Lane (1830–1903): The niece of President James Buchanan, she acted as First Lady in the years leading right up to the Civil War. She was famous for her striking violet-blue eyes, golden-blonde hair, and a commanding, elegant physical presence. She single-handedly set Washington fashion trends, such as lowering the necklines of European dresses to look more modern. [1]
- Emilie Schaumburg (1843–1927): Known as the ultimate "belle of Philadelphia", she was internationally famous for her classic, delicate features, dark hair, and brilliant singing voice. When Grand Duke Alexis of Russia visited America, he was reportedly so taken by her looks that he followed her from city to city. [1]
- Mattie Ould (1842–1879): A famous Southern belle from Richmond, she was celebrated for her sharp, independent wit and striking, classic features. She was considered one of the few women whose natural charisma and physical symmetry could cut through the stiff limitations of Civil War-era photography. [1]
- Jennie Jerome (1854–1921): Born in Brooklyn, New York, she later moved to England and became Lady Randolph Churchill (mother of Winston Churchill). In her youth during the late Civil War and Reconstruction era, she was universally considered an absolute knockout, renowned for her dark, panther-like eyes, rich black hair, and vivacious, rule-breaking personality.
The 4 Babes
Second generated group.
So there were babes back in the day, but you only seemed to see women who were being photographed who had a bit more no photographic qualities.
One has to remember that women were kind of looked upon if they had some kind of money. If they bathed and had their teeth. That whittled out allot of them. If they could speak intelligently, flirt and do something entertaining, men swooned, even if they were a bit beefy or hurt the eyes to look at.
As Libby Custer stated out west, the ugly girls came to be maids at camp, and were soon putting on make up as the men not having any women around, soon found any woman better than the broomstick to dance with. Was a real marriage market for the ugly maids of Minneapolis to get a husband when no one would look at them in the big city.
Nuff Said
agtG
