Is there a period costumes geek in the house?

[lethargic_man]

These are some old family photographs a relative showed me, which I then snapped with my digital camera. I suspect these are family members, but I have no idea who or when. The costumes in some cases suggests Victorian, but I can't identify them any better than that. Is there anyone reading this who can do better?

Click on the images for full size versions.

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• (Can anyone say anything about this costume beyond that it's Masonic?)
   
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• (Photographed by me from a negative.)
   
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The last of these photos is printed on a shiny metal plate that has corroded somewhat, leading to the photographic imprint coming away in some places. This suggested to me that it might be a daguerreotype (appeared 1839, peaked 1847-1854, dwindled 1855-1860)^*.

* The dress, less unusual by today's standards, had suggested to me it might be later, and the other possibility is the tintype (appeared: 1856, peaked 1861-1870, dwindled: 1872-1900), however the cited web page does not mention the tintype (which is actually made out of iron) as reflective, and Wikipedia informs me that the tie as we know it dates back to the 1850s. I suppose the answer is to go back to my relative and get her to wave a magnet at it.

Comments

[random-c.livejournal.com]

The lady in the big bustle - that's 1870s, wait until I'm home and I can get you a closer dating from the styling of the bodice, at this point I'm going purely on the shaping of the bustle. The girl at the top, it's somewhat harder to tell without the skirt shape to go on, but I'd say it's later than the lady in the bustle. Probably 1880s the double-breasted look was popular then, as were the fitted sleeves.

[random-c.livejournal.com]

That last picture, it'd difficult to see well, but the styling of the ladies clothing I'd say around 1900.

[hikari-neko.livejournal.com]

The army uniform looks like it's early C20th - hard to tell from the picture but the cap badge could be a general corps one.

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (I wasn't really expecting answers on this, and forgot about the friends-of-friends page. :o))

[random-c.livejournal.com]

Nah, the #afp 'oh people know this stuff' network...