Young man in Bishops Stortford
By: usermattw
Tags: antiques, Bishops Stortford, CDV, photography, vintage photography
Category: Men
Click here to view it larger.
This little carte de visite image was taken by B. Combs of South Street in Bishops Stortford, England. One online source indicates that this would probably be Benjamin Combs, who ran this photo studio for about a decade before returning to his hometown of Brighton to be a beach photographer in the 1880s and 1890s, suggesting that this photo was taken around the 1870s. I think that time frame lines up with the image, though I’d be interested if people think otherwise. I’m drawn to the simple elegance of this image, and the way he looks both poised and relaxed, though I wonder if the object behind the chair is a posing stand. It took a moment to notice that the dark object behind the vase is his top hat. And I can’t quite make out the pattern on his tie, but it looks like it might be flowers, which would be a nice complement to the real flowers next to him.
Pics of Then 
This looks very much like an 1860s portrait to me. The mount looks thin, with squared ends and no lettering at the bottom. The composition is very simple, with a sitter and a table and no backdrop. You don’t see top hats much after the 1860s, either. Men continued to wear them in formal settings, but they don’t appear as often in portraits. Fortunately for this fellow, his hat was capacious enough for his fabulous hair!
Thank you! My initial thought was maybe a little earlier than the 1870s, but I was influenced by what I read about the timeline of his biography (which, of course, could also be mistaken, given that it was a single aside in an internet entry about a different photographer). Perhaps it was from the very early 1870s, or even the very late 1860s, which would still match the vague, approximate nature of that timeline. Anyway, yes, his hair is its own work of art.
His hair and pose, plus the almost-Beatle boots, look so jaunty, but his facial expression is so somber. I wonder about it.
He has that stereotypically unsmiling old-photo face, which makes me suspect that the item behind him is indeed a posing stand clamping him in place. The hand on the table and the crossed legs look less formal, but they would be easy enough to hold still.
I also think that must be a posing stand behind him, although you have to wonder if it was really necessary. Maybe to help him keep his back straight?
I see them sometimes when people are seated, but it’s less common. That’s another clue that it was probably a bit earlier than the 1870s. I wonder if it was ever something used by the photographer as a sort of professional flourish, less out of actual need than out of a desire to make the sitter think he’s getting the fullest service.
That could be, ha! Without elaborate props or backdrops, photographers had few ways to distinguish themselves from their competitors (if they had any).