Back in the 1950's, there was a popular challenge between young folk of the era to see how many could pack into a phone box in a sardine-like fashion. Jolly good fun, I'm sure. Well, back in the 1850's, a similar challenge emerged-'how many youngsters can we fit in this here daguerreotype portrait?' Personally, I feel there was room for a few more folks here. Nevertheless, this is, of course, a marvellous 1/4 plate daguerreotype of school class-Petersham school in Massachusetts, probably taken around the very early 1850's. Take out your monocle and zoom in on the kiddies and you'll notice for the most part it's a good example of the side parts for boys and middle parts for girls rule. Most of the older girls are wearing collared dresses, while the younger ladies wear off-the-shoulder frocks up the front (plus one young man in a frock and side part).
This impressive group image is courtesy of Skinner Auctions.
