Young woman from Helsinki
What it is:
Carte de visite (CDV) photo measuring 2.5 x 4 inches.
What I know about it:
Photographer is Atelier Nyblin of Helsinki, Finland. Otherwise undated and unidentified.
Comments:
I often Google the names and places that I find on these old photos, and sometimes I can find additional information. Imagine my surprise when I searched on Atelier Nyblin and found a business website! Apparently Atelier Nyblin was founded in 1877, and today, at age 135, is the oldest continuously operational photo studio in Finland (though, of course, the current gallery of photos on their website don’t quite look like the one pictured here).
Pics of Then 
Great story! I’m disappointed with their modern shots, sadly, although it does look like they might still use the occasional old backdrop (see “weddings”), which is interesting.
I agree, they look like high school yearbook photos, or the sorts of photos that realtors use on their business cards. Perfectly serviceable, but not very artistic or imaginative. Still, I don’t know how much call there would be today for fancier portraits, outside weddings or celebrity portraiture. Did you read the history page, where is says their negatives are stored with the national museum and reprints can be had decades later? Perhaps I can get extra copies of the woman I posted here! 🙂
Have you thought of contacting the gallery with this photo and seeing what they could tell you?
Hi Lisa, no I hadn’t, but that’s an interesting idea. I only just discovered the site last night as I was typing up this blog entry, and I hadn’t thought all that through. Part of me enjoys the sleuthing for more information, and another part of me enjoys the mystery of anonymous portraits. It’s not like I’m doing genealogy research or researching for a paper or something, it’s just a fun hobby. But you’re right, it’s rare to find such an opportunity, so it might be fun to follow up on it.
That’s so fun, Matt. I agree though, sometimes the fun of these old photos is the fun of making up the lives that belonged to the person. 🙂
Thanks, Katie. Yes, I’m torn between wanting to know more and wanting to leave it as is.