Hattie and Laura Clark
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What it is:
Carte de Visite (CDV) measuring 2.5 x 4 inches.
What I know about it:
The subjects are identified at the bottom as Hattie A. and Laura C. Clark. Otherwise no information.
Comments:
The other day, idle at work, my fingers wandered over to eBay and bid on an inexpensive bunch of as-is photos, my first eBay photo purchase in about fifteen years. They arrived yesterday, and I’m delighted with them. (Well, most of them.) Here is an example. Are these two twins? Surely at least sisters, right? Someday I might bother to subscribe to a genealogy website, but meanwhile some simple internet searching didn’t turn up anything obvious for these two. (Plenty of name matches, but not with matching sisters, and not the correct ages for this era.) That includes searches for “Harriet” instead of “Hattie”. And the vintage handwriting threw me off, because I was searching for “Sarah” before realizing the name is actually “Laura”. In any case, even without knowing anything about these girls, I think it’s a fun image. By the way, note the clever way the bases of a pair of posing stands are hidden in the shadows of their dresses.
Pics of Then 
In the small version, those gigantic tassels/curtain pulls look like brooms – which match the expressions on their faces. Their faces look more boy-like than girl-like, but it could be the severe, pulled back hair – or is it short? So many questions about this one!
Ha! That’s funny, the idea that they are gloomy and posing with brooms, the instruments of their displeasure. I was guessing their hair is just pulled back, though it could be cut short for some reason. Either way, I agree it’s a less classically feminine look than I am used to seeing in such portraits from the time.
Actually, the more I look at it, the more it looks like their hair is short, though it’s hard to be sure.
Yes, it looks short, especially when you look at Laura’s right ear – there’s a short tuft sticking out.