Mother and daughter 009

Another fine, nostalgic double portrait of Miriam and her daughter Esther posing in face à main (also called lorgnette) from the late 19th century. There are two contemporary elements which give away that this is not a photo from the days of our great-grandmothers. The models wear modern necklaces and they are smiling. In the days when the face à main were made (between 1880 and 1900), posing in front of a camera was  serious business indeed. In fact, smiling models on the old photographs are often actresses. Anyway, there is an element of acting when posing as "Ladies behind crystal veil". Great job, ladies!