tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post9219125256357416798..comments2024-03-26T16:11:44.515-04:00Comments on All Things Ruffnerian, a Design Blog and More: Mystery SolvedMark D. Ruffnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-5617679966408498152011-12-07T15:22:41.596-05:002011-12-07T15:22:41.596-05:00Hi, Theresa - I honestly did not expect that inscr...Hi, Theresa - I honestly did not expect that inscription to be solved so quickly! But fear not, I'm sure there will be more chances at the decoder ring ...Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-53047656208768482452011-12-07T14:04:46.369-05:002011-12-07T14:04:46.369-05:00Shoot! I missed the decoder ring! Great mystery so...Shoot! I missed the decoder ring! Great mystery solved!Theresa Cheekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11429069123185290732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-2019698486195328362011-12-07T10:56:03.403-05:002011-12-07T10:56:03.403-05:00Hi, Parnassus - The virtual deerstalker cap is no ...Hi, Parnassus - The virtual deerstalker cap is no small matter! Many seek it, but few attain it.<br /><br />I also hope that Stewart made it past the Civil War, which took many boys as young and younger than he. If he did live into the 20th century, he would indeed have seen much change in his lifetime.<br /><br />That reminds me of a conversation I had with my grandmother, who was born in the 1880s. She lived to see men land on the moon, and I commented to her how amazing it was that she'd seen the span from horse-and-buggy to the moon landing. She laughed and said, "Mark, in my village, there were no buggys!"Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-79954765304600019062011-12-07T10:48:52.830-05:002011-12-07T10:48:52.830-05:00Hi again, Steve - You're welcome. I learn a lo...Hi again, Steve - You're welcome. I learn a lot from your site, and am happy to reciprocate.Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-59989935420727122082011-12-07T10:31:00.431-05:002011-12-07T10:31:00.431-05:00Wow, my first virtual award, and my first deerstal...Wow, my first virtual award, and my first deerstalker, virtual or otherwise. Thank you.<br /><br />I hope you are right that your S.A. Austin is one of those survivors into the 20th century, so that he had a long, interesting life--from slavery to automobiles, all in one lifetime.<br />--Road to ParnassusParnassushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08958901307538141468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-55323006800859442912011-12-07T10:19:55.459-05:002011-12-07T10:19:55.459-05:00Thank you, Mark, for that explanation. I'm ex...Thank you, Mark, for that explanation. I'm extremely impressed.An Urban Cottagehttp://anurbancottage.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-18493061057890748632011-12-07T09:26:47.185-05:002011-12-07T09:26:47.185-05:00Thanks to you, too. Now I know that my blogging fr...Thanks to you, too. Now I know that my blogging friends hold the keys to a lot of answers!Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-64720944158469766172011-12-07T07:55:56.734-05:002011-12-07T07:55:56.734-05:00Thank you Mark, this sleuthing work was a lot of ...Thank you Mark, this sleuthing work was a lot of fun. Congratulations to Parnassus for being so clever.Ginahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03429484235583035595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-26784143351430000392011-12-07T07:27:32.521-05:002011-12-07T07:27:32.521-05:00Hi, Steve - I base my date on several factors.
Fi...Hi, Steve - I base my date on several factors.<br /><br />First, I love reading about the history of the American Presidency, and I've been looking at daguerreotypes of early politicians for a long time. The larger tie that took your fancy is a fashion of the 1850s, possibly the late 1840s, though if it were the 1840s, the young man's collar would likely be standing up.<br /><br />Second, I look at the image itself. Our teenager is sitting for an ambrotype. Daguerreotypes, which were the first photography, spanned from 1839 to approximately 1860. Images were produced on silvery surfaces with a process that included mercury. Ambrotypes succeeded daguerreotypes, were produced on glass and were easier and less dangerous to make. Ambrotypes date to the mid-1850s. The brass frame around our teenager is of a simpler design, indicating that it's an earlier ambrotype.<br /><br />So, based on the style of the collar and tie, and the style of an early ambrotype, I would date the image to the late 1850s.Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-61558234086326303212011-12-07T07:03:59.252-05:002011-12-07T07:03:59.252-05:00Hi, Rosemary - A white owl will be delivering your...Hi, Rosemary - A white owl will be delivering your virtual Ruffnerian Decoder Ring shortly!Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-70277964390789092332011-12-07T06:53:59.238-05:002011-12-07T06:53:59.238-05:00Indeed amazing that Parnassus got that on the firs...Indeed amazing that Parnassus got that on the first try. <br /><br />Is there something distinctive about the attire that dates the photo to the late 1850s?<br /><br />Thank you for the Decoder Ring. I love it!An Urban Cottagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08666212353075804092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-148647148793397155.post-43923848382766407202011-12-07T05:31:36.470-05:002011-12-07T05:31:36.470-05:00Good detective solving - Parnaussus did brilliantl...Good detective solving - Parnaussus did brilliantly, getting it all correct first go round - well done.Rosemaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814070177137076757noreply@blogger.com