#VintagePortraits
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buriedforest.bsky.social
Swipe to meet Ella May, her husband John D. Finney, and kids George & Roberta - mid-century sweetness in every sense. Got a family cookie recipe? Share it and tag #BuriedForestResearch. Let’s celebrate the flavors that connect us. #OrangeCookies #VintagePortraits #BellaireMI #Cookies
A black-and-white studio portrait of Ella May Bedell with her husband John D. Finney and their children, George and Roberta. Ella May wears glasses and a patterned dress, John is in a suit and tie, George sports an embroidered shirt, and Roberta wears a light dress with bows in her hair. The photo captures a mid-20th-century family moment with warmth and formality.
October 1, 2025 at 6:46 PM
bejsam.bsky.social
Muses: Irene Castle (American Dancer, 1893-1969) by Baron Adolph de Meyer (1868-1946) (1919, NPG, Washington DC) #vintageportraits
May 6, 2025 at 8:48 PM
thegreyhavens.bsky.social
I recently acquired this wonderful portrait, made in the 1890s, somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Does anyone recognize this style/culture/significance of the unusual six-pointed hat the seated girl is wearing?

#photography
#vintageportraits
#vintageclothing
Black-and-white photographic portrait of a mother and her young daughter. Taken in a studio, the mother is standing and the daughter is seated. The mother wears a heavy winter cloak, while the daughter wears a heavy, waist-length winter jacket with very large buttons. The daughter wears an upturned, six-pointed hat of usual design. An enlargement of the previous image, showing the daughter and her clothing in better detail. He long hair is tightly braided, and she is wearing leather gloves. Her jacket is double-breasted with two large buttons at the neck- and waistlines. The top of her hat resembles the roofline of a Chinese pagoda.
April 9, 2025 at 10:35 PM
jannik.ca
In this series of 4x5 black-and-white portraits, I revisit the aesthetics of early 20th-century portrait photography, employing period-specific equipment, lighting, and posing to recreate its distinctive look and feel.

#VintagePortraits #1920sPhotography #4x5Film #Photography
#ViewCamera #Retro
Photography and the Male Gaze The portrait photography of the 1920s and 1930s often reflected an intense, uncontested male gaze, framing women through the lens of male-defined ideals of beauty and femininity. Female subjects were typically depicted as soft, graceful, and elegant, with poses emphasizing delicate facial features, smooth skin, and diffused lighting to create a dreamlike, romanticized aesthetic. These portraits frequently excluded non-conforming bodies, favouring a narrow ideal of perfection that reinforced societal norms of the time. Today, such techniques and ideals may feel distant or inappropriate in a cultural landscape that increasingly values diversity, authenticity, and self-expression. Modern portraiture celebrates a broader range of body types, identities, and imperfections, challenging the restrictive gaze that once dominated photography. While the male gaze persists, particularly in commercial and mass media, it is met with growing resistance and critique. Female photographers and subjects have reclaimed creative power, shifting the lens toward more inclusive and empowering representations. In this series of 4x5 black-and-white portraits, I revisit the aesthetics of early 20th-century portrait photography, employing period-specific equipment, lighting, and posing to recreate its distinctive look and feel. I aim to provoke contradiction and ambiguity in the viewer’s mind by juxtaposing these historical techniques with modern women. The work invites reflection on how these historical aesthetics resonate—or clash—with contemporary values. Through this exploration, I hope to prompt questions about progress, representation, and the lingering influence of the male gaze. How much have we changed, and how much more change is needed? By revisiting the past, this series seeks to challenge assumptions about beauty, agency, and the evolving language of portrait photography. Photography and the Male Gaze The portrait photography of the 1920s and 1930s often reflected an intense, uncontested male gaze, framing women through the lens of male-defined ideals of beauty and femininity. Female subjects were typically depicted as soft, graceful, and elegant, with poses emphasizing delicate facial features, smooth skin, and diffused lighting to create a dreamlike, romanticized aesthetic. These portraits frequently excluded non-conforming bodies, favouring a narrow ideal of perfection that reinforced societal norms of the time. Today, such techniques and ideals may feel distant or inappropriate in a cultural landscape that increasingly values diversity, authenticity, and self-expression. Modern portraiture celebrates a broader range of body types, identities, and imperfections, challenging the restrictive gaze that once dominated photography. While the male gaze persists, particularly in commercial and mass media, it is met with growing resistance and critique. Female photographers and subjects have reclaimed creative power, shifting the lens toward more inclusive and empowering representations. In this series of 4x5 black-and-white portraits, I revisit the aesthetics of early 20th-century portrait photography, employing period-specific equipment, lighting, and posing to recreate its distinctive look and feel. I aim to provoke contradiction and ambiguity in the viewer’s mind by juxtaposing these historical techniques with modern women. The work invites reflection on how these historical aesthetics resonate—or clash—with contemporary values. Through this exploration, I hope to prompt questions about progress, representation, and the lingering influence of the male gaze. How much have we changed, and how much more change is needed? By revisiting the past, this series seeks to challenge assumptions about beauty, agency, and the evolving language of portrait photography. Photography and the Male Gaze The portrait photography of the 1920s and 1930s often reflected an intense, uncontested male gaze, framing women through the lens of male-defined ideals of beauty and femininity. Female subjects were typically depicted as soft, graceful, and elegant, with poses emphasizing delicate facial features, smooth skin, and diffused lighting to create a dreamlike, romanticized aesthetic. These portraits frequently excluded non-conforming bodies, favouring a narrow ideal of perfection that reinforced societal norms of the time. Today, such techniques and ideals may feel distant or inappropriate in a cultural landscape that increasingly values diversity, authenticity, and self-expression. Modern portraiture celebrates a broader range of body types, identities, and imperfections, challenging the restrictive gaze that once dominated photography. While the male gaze persists, particularly in commercial and mass media, it is met with growing resistance and critique. Female photographers and subjects have reclaimed creative power, shifting the lens toward more inclusive and empowering representations. In this series of 4x5 black-and-white portraits, I revisit the aesthetics of early 20th-century portrait photography, employing period-specific equipment, lighting, and posing to recreate its distinctive look and feel. I aim to provoke contradiction and ambiguity in the viewer’s mind by juxtaposing these historical techniques with modern women. The work invites reflection on how these historical aesthetics resonate—or clash—with contemporary values. Through this exploration, I hope to prompt questions about progress, representation, and the lingering influence of the male gaze. How much have we changed, and how much more change is needed? By revisiting the past, this series seeks to challenge assumptions about beauty, agency, and the evolving language of portrait photography. Photography and the Male Gaze The portrait photography of the 1920s and 1930s often reflected an intense, uncontested male gaze, framing women through the lens of male-defined ideals of beauty and femininity. Female subjects were typically depicted as soft, graceful, and elegant, with poses emphasizing delicate facial features, smooth skin, and diffused lighting to create a dreamlike, romanticized aesthetic. These portraits frequently excluded non-conforming bodies, favouring a narrow ideal of perfection that reinforced societal norms of the time. Today, such techniques and ideals may feel distant or inappropriate in a cultural landscape that increasingly values diversity, authenticity, and self-expression. Modern portraiture celebrates a broader range of body types, identities, and imperfections, challenging the restrictive gaze that once dominated photography. While the male gaze persists, particularly in commercial and mass media, it is met with growing resistance and critique. Female photographers and subjects have reclaimed creative power, shifting the lens toward more inclusive and empowering representations. In this series of 4x5 black-and-white portraits, I revisit the aesthetics of early 20th-century portrait photography, employing period-specific equipment, lighting, and posing to recreate its distinctive look and feel. I aim to provoke contradiction and ambiguity in the viewer’s mind by juxtaposing these historical techniques with modern women. The work invites reflection on how these historical aesthetics resonate—or clash—with contemporary values. Through this exploration, I hope to prompt questions about progress, representation, and the lingering influence of the male gaze. How much have we changed, and how much more change is needed? By revisiting the past, this series seeks to challenge assumptions about beauty, agency, and the evolving language of portrait photography.
February 9, 2025 at 10:56 AM