In the 19th century, the photography studio became a stage where the working class could immortalize their professional identities with dignity and pride.
These amazing studio portraits offer more than just a visual record, they reveal the unique occupations of Victorians by capturing individuals posed with the specific tools of their trades. Whether it was a chimney sweep holding his soot-covered brushes, a fishmonger with a woven basket, or a maid in her stiffly starched apron, these subjects treated their work as a badge of honor.
Unlike the candid nature of street photography, these formal settings allowed for a detailed look at the specialized uniforms and equipment of the era. Each frame serves as a poignant time capsule, preserving a glimpse into a complex social hierarchy and the vanished crafts that once powered the heart of the Victorian world.
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| The nanny |
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| A civil war photographer |
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| A cobbler wearing a heavy apron, likely stained with leather dyes and polishes, rests his hands upon a shoe last mounted to a stand |
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| A farrier with his tools of the trade |
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| A fisherman |
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| A harness maker |
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| A man delivering the news |
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| A man sits on the floor of a photographer’s studio, and demonstrates a machine that features hand-operated pedals that turn a gear |
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| A monk |
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| A photographer with camera and soiled apron |
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| A preacher sits with his pencil resting on the page of a book, another book with papers tucked into his pocket, and a fringed shawl or blanket on his knee |
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| A Roman Catholic Bishop |
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| A seafarer in New Orleans |
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| Colorist with mahl stick and brush |
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| Delivery man |
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| Fireman, a member of Madison Hose Company No. 2 |
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| Game bird hunter |
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| Illinois inventor |
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| Keeper of the faith |
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| Legal tender |
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| Medicine man |
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| Palm reader |
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| Pennsylvania corn huskers |
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| Police officer |
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| Press woman |
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| Stone workers |
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| The artist |
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| The carpenter |
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| The clergyman |
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| The colorist |
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| The colorist |
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| The harness maker |
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| The penmanship teacher |
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| The scientist |
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| The tailor |
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| The tradesman |
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| The wallpaper hanger |
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| Three surveyors demonstrate their occupation in front of the camera |
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| Two workers |
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| Women re-enacting the washing and drying of dishes |
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