Whittaker Family Photo

Whittaker Family 1890

Standing in back (if arranged from eldest to youngest) is: Cassius, George, Frank, Charles, and John.  Sitting are Juliette, Ellen, Stella, Alice, and Barna Whittaker.


This past summer I attended the FGS Conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  It was so excited to meet the many of the big names in genealogy.  One of them was Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective.  I paid a consultation fee and showed her this picture on my iPad.  I didn't give her any clues as to what my guesses were about the photo.  If everyone is placed from oldest to youngest, I have all of them named and my best guess is that the photo was taken @1888.


Here is what she said:
24 Aug 2018: Photo Consultation with Maureen Taylor the Photo Detective.  She said that the photo was taken @1890.  The girl in the middle with the neck choker is the youngest sister.  The puff sleeves on the shoulders help date the picture to 1890.  Barna is a very conservative/religious man with his under the chin beard.  These are their clothes (they did not belong to the photographer) and the women were dressed particularly nicely (especially Juliette's skirt sash and the detailed shoulder work).   These were purchased dresses (rather than homemade) that would have been colored in rust, red, dark blue, and garnet.  They were very dressed up for the occasion.  They were healthy.  She was curious to what the occasion might have been for them to have the photo taken.

Cindy Ribbeck, Maureen Taylor, Jeanette Sheliga