I recently purchased an ambrotype of an 1850's teenager. The case in which it came was unremarkable, but the ambrotype was in fine condition, and the earnest young face was appealing — a
Isn't that vest great?
There was a piece of paper in the case that was so faded that at first, I didn't even realize that there was writing on it. So I opened this image in Adobe PhotoShop and played around with filters, trying to accentuate the handwriting and fade the background.
I believe that the young man's name is written on two lines and that "Stewart" is his first name. But what is the rest of the inscription? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
After mulling it over with a cup of coffee, contributer Carol P. suggested that I scan the inscription with a higher dpi (dots per inch). Exhibit D is the result, scanned at 1200dpi (or four times more detailed than the original scan). Now can you decipher it?
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I'm not so sure about the "Stewart"--is there a letter between the r and the t? The last name looks a little like Austin: "Stewart A. Austin, My Cousin".
ReplyDeleteI am an historian. Deciphering 18th century documents and handwriting is what I do for a living!
ReplyDeleteI use very fine magnifiers (20x to 50x)to see the indentations on the paper, made by the pressure of the writing instrument. It is really difficult to tell from the image you have provided.
A high definition scan may help also. Your photo shop efforts are commendable, but the image is too smeared for me to tell.
Hi, Parnassus - Judging from the space between the capital "S" and the "t," I believe the writer made a strong beginning stroke with every "t."
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting, Carol P. - Your job sounds fascinating, and I would assume that you are actually working as much with parchment as you are paper.
ReplyDeleteActually, many early documents were on paper manufactured in England or France. They have wonderful watermarks. Parchment was saved for special documents. Right now I am working on probate records, many in French.
ReplyDeleteI have book marked this page and will look at it again after another cup of coffee.
Dear Mark - how annoying, the detail is almost there but not quite. H and I have both looked and squinted at it without much luck. I agree with Parnassus as it does seem to say My ......... on the last line.
ReplyDeleteAll I can see is Stewart: A Dusty Vegetarian.
ReplyDeleteIt would be great to figure it out and recreate his life story through census records, even if most is fiction. But it may have to be enough to just appreciate the image. The vest is, indeed, fantastic and I'm going to start wearing bow ties just like that.
A (the middle initial) last name beginning with a D-
ReplyDeleteI believe the last line is "My cousin"
PGT
Hello Mark, Your young man is wearing a signet ring. A little unusual for an American Gentleman. He could be European. Maybe German or Austrian...the vest looks very Austrian. The writing on the back of your photograph could be of central European origin where the alphabet is very similar.
ReplyDeleteHi, Rosemary - Thanks to you and H for looking. "My" is the only thing about which I'm 100% certain. "Stewart" is about at 95%.
ReplyDeleteHi, Steve - I'm not sure about "Dusty," but I like the "Vegetarian" part. Perhaps it's "Sushi Vegetarian."
ReplyDeleteWhen you go for the new tie look, I hope you'll post a photo on The Urban Cottage. Judging by the rest of your blog, you'll pull it off with great style.
Hi, Gaye - That's two votes for "My cousin." I can see the "D" in the last name, though I'm not sure that the "A" is a middle initial. It could be that we're missing a letter within that space, in which case the "A" would be the beginning of the last name. Maybe.
ReplyDeleteHi, Gina - Now you're thinking like a real detective! Could it be that we're deciphering something other than English? On the other hand, could he a young American wearing an imported vest? Wouldn't it be fun to know what color it was?
ReplyDeleteIf you have access to a digital scanner with high dpi and can edit the scan to remove areas beyond the inscription, that may be helpful. I really would like to solve this for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carol P., that's a great suggestion. I will scan at a higher dpi, and edit the posting accordingly!
ReplyDeleteI see:
ReplyDeleteStewart
second line: A student - ?
My Cousin
Oh well, it is a photo of a charming young man.
The higher resolution scan sheds a different light.
ReplyDeleteIn what appears to be the last name, it seems like there's the crossing of a "t" and the dot of an "i."
My guess now is "Stewart A. Austin, My cousin."
But interesting that someone suggested "Austria" becasue it sure could say that too. But they would call is Osterreich so it seems it must be in English.
Hi, Yvette - Thanks for sounding in on this. Regardless his name, I'm happy to include this earnest little face in my collection.
ReplyDeleteHi again, Steve. A consensus is building ...
ReplyDeleteMark, you are one extremely clever man. I am also going with Stewart and my cousin. It would be an experience to track down any descendants. He is a good looking young chap.
ReplyDeleteHi, David - It would be exciting to connect with descendants, wouldn't it? One wonders how people could part with such images in the first place.
ReplyDeleteSuggestion: Get yourself a black light (fluorescent is a MUST). These can be found in CFL type at novelty stores, or in the form of currency checking lights. These can often reveal details depending on what materials were used. They don't often work on signatures, but they do work on paints. It may work if the lettering is in ink but I can't be sure.
ReplyDeleteI was able to use this trick to completely reveal some barely visible stencils on one of my clock cases from the 1830's. In normal lighting the clock looks like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v473/sooth15/BoardmanWellsDoor1.jpg
Under black light:
http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af308/clockmaker15/P9110578.jpg
Also, the last part definitely looks like "My cousin"
Hi, JC - Thanks for another very inventive idea. The inscription is a very light pencil marking, and I'm guessing it was delicate from the day it was written.
ReplyDeleteYou might also try raking light and the highest resolution on your digital camera. That might help show up the depth of the pencil line.
ReplyDelete--Road to Parnassus
Good morning,
ReplyDeleteStill contemplating this. More difficult w/o seeing the original. Travel day today. But I will be back at it tomorrow!
Thank you Parnassus and Carol P. - As you can see by my latest posting, I am satisfied that you both have already solved the inscription!
ReplyDeleteCarol P., I truly appreciate that you were not yet ready to throw out a guess, a mark of your professionalism.