In modern life, we’re aware of the prevalent use of photo manipulation – in film and TV, advertising, and even on social media through filters. We know not to take photos at face value and can even spots the signs of tweaking. Now consider the clear skinned, slim-waisted subjects of Victorian and Edwardian photographs – why do we not apply the same expectations here?
Well, it turns out we should! Just like modern filters and editing software, photographers of the past regularly manipulated their images to enhance, flatter, or generally improve the sitter. Using small scratches to distract the eye and paint to cover mistakes, the historic photographer could bring the image in their head to reality. We were inspired to search our photographic collections and found some great examples – let’s take a look…
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These gorgeous studio photographs of Henrietta Bankes of Kingston Lacy were taken shortly after her marriage in 1898. At this time, the Gibson Girl S-silhouette was the peak beauty standard, which was defined by a rounded bust and hip with a slim waist. Considered a society beauty, Henrietta already had a traditionally Victorian silhouette, but that doesn’t mean her photographs were free from retouching!
Looking at her waist, we can see some subtle scratching which, when outlined, show the retouching.
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In some cases, unwanted parts were cropped out of the composition – unwieldy clothing, flyaway hair, or even rogue limbs. In this postcard of an unidentified baby, we can see that there’s a large patch of retouching to the left of the image. When outlined, a more recognisable shape appears – that of an arm! On closer inspection, someone is crouching behind our subject to hold them in place – we can even see the top of their head and left hand.
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In some cases, you can’t find direct evidence of retouching, but a cynical eye can often bring it to light. Smooth, wrinkle-less faces seem suspicious on older sitters. Often, tendons in the neck and bones across the décolletage are removed, creating the impression of perfect, featureless skin – a reason for photoshopping we are familiar with today.
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You can also find evidence when comparing multiple photographs of the same person. Here, Lois Sturt was photographed across her childhood, and we can see that her face has been retouched in the middle image to match the popular style of illustration used in advertising at the time.
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Where scratching could remove content, paint was used to add, enhance, or completely change features. We can see another, more extensive example in this photograph of Feodorovna Sturt, Lady Alington – her right forearm and half of her pet dog have been painted in. A wiggly puppy probably made for a difficult sitter!
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If you’ve been inspired, why not pull out a magnifying glass and investigate your own family photographs? Let us know if you find anything exciting – @DorsetArchives on Twitter, or archives@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk